The Angel
by shobsnet02
Summary: Timeline: Vampire Diaries Season 2 and after New Moon. Victoria found Bella and there was no one to save her. What will happen to her? And when the Cullens and our heroine cross paths once again, what will she do? Read and find out. Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1 Change

The Angel

Chapter 1 Change

_**Summary: In our lives, there comes a time when our lives are put at risk. Bella Swan is no exception to the rule. But what if there was no one around to save her? What will she do? Can a certain dark haired angel save her and offer her salvation? But what if salvation comes with a big price—her own life that is. Is she willing to give up her life for an eternity with a man she barely knew? And what if the people she loved comes back? Who will she choose—the person who stayed with her and saved her or her former family? It all ends with a choice.

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_**Bella's POV**_

No. She found me. Victoria found me. Has she found Charlie as well? I didn't want him to get involved in this. It is the only thing I could do for him. I have always messed up my father's life. Why couldn't I do something good to him for once?

By having the knowledge of this mythical world filled with vampires and werewolves, the only thing I have ever done was put all the people I love in danger, and now I was going to pay the price. I deserved it. And I am prepared to accept my fate as long as Charlie is safe, as long as my dad is safe.

Victoria's lip curled up into a cruel smile, and then bared her glistening white teeth at me. I felt no fear as she crouched near the ground, preparing herself for the attack that was sure to come. I braced myself and closed my eyes, praying to whoever is in power up there that he would keep Charlie and Jacob safe.

I felt an unnatural breeze whiz by my side then cool breath tickled my face. "You really thought it would be that easy, didn't you?" she whispered, running her fingers along my cheek.

I just kept my mouth shut and did not reply. Because I knew the moment I opened my mouth, a scream will work its way out of my throat. And I did not want to give her the satisfaction of hearing that.

"Still a martyr, I see." she said, yanking my hair. It was painful, but I could still endure it. My eyes remained shut as she threw me on the ground and kicked my stomach. I winced in pain but my resolve was still strong. I will not scream.

She kicked me repeatedly in different parts of my body—my arms, legs, stomach, back, and face. I could feel some blood trickling down my nose and taste the salty flavor of blood in my mouth. And I could sense Victoria's plan on torturing me slowly crumble because of her thirst.

A low growl rose from her chest, making me shiver. My time is near, that I knew. If there is one thing that came to my mind, it was the thought of Edward and his lovely face. But I knew he wouldn't save me this time, because he is gone. He was part of the wonderful dream that is my life, and I was grateful for that.

But somebody stopped Victoria, and whoever it was, I owe my life to him. That was the last thing I thought, and then I blacked out.

* * *

_**Sometime later…**_

I woke up, feeling weird and strangely energized. Was it all a bizarre dream then? But the fact that I wasn't in a place I recognized convinced me that it wasn't a dream, that it was all real.

I looked around and searched for my savior, hoping to express my gratitude. But then I only found myself alone in this house. My savior couldn't be just some human or mortal. He or she could only be a vampire. But why did he do it?

Suddenly, I heard a beautiful voice from behind me. "It's a good thing you are awake now. I thought you were already dead when I found you in the forest." A handsome man with black hair said, leaning on the counter.

I saw that he was pale, almost as pale as vampires. But he had color in his cheeks, too. How did that happen? I decided to be polite and find out more about this man.

"Who are you?" I asked reluctantly, afraid of what he might do to me.

"I am Damon Salvatore. I saw that woman with red hair nearly kill you. If I arrived a second later you would have been drained dry." he said, with an air of arrogance.

"You are one of them? You're a vampire?" I asked, shocked. He definitely didn't look like one to me.

"So you know then? I am not exactly like them. I am a vampire, too, but not quite the same kind, Isabella." he said nonchalantly, as if it was nothing.

How did he know my name? Did he have the same ability as Ed—his? "Call me Bella. And what did you mean you are not exactly like them?" I asked, baffled.

"What I mean is, I have fangs, a heartbeat, and blood in my veins, and I don't have rock hard skin or any of their red eyes crap." he said tiredly, like he has been repeating this over and over to a five year old kid.

I stuttered, and then tried again. "How did that happen?" I asked again, knowing I had so much to learn.

"We are a different kind of vampire." he started, and explained everything to me.

I listened intently, sucking in a sharp breath once in a while, taking it all in. I guess he expected me to go into shock, and was surprised that I didn't. His face showed a trace of sadness, but composed himself quickly. "Is there something wrong?" I asked, worried.

"No. You just reminded me of a friend of mine that is very dear to me." He replied honestly.

"Was she human, too?" I asked, before I could stop myself.

"How do you know it's a she?" he asked incredulously. He seemed to be searching for something in my eyes, but stopped after a while.

"There was just something that sparked in you when you mentioned her." I stated, looking at my hands.

After a few moments of silence, I decided to break it. "Thank you for saving my life. Although, if you don't mind me asking, why did you save me? I mean, you could have just let me die." I asked quietly.

"I didn't exactly save you. I did quite the opposite. I am killing you already as I speak." he said, gloomily.

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. Why did he say that? Does he plan to prey on me? "In what way are you killing me?" I asked, staring at him.

"I fed you some of my blood to save you. There was just no other way, you had too many injuries. If you don't drink human blood soon, you will slowly die. And judging from your character, you're not one to kill a human." he said, giving me a look of pity.

I froze, letting it all sink in. I need to kill to save myself? "Isn't there any other way? Animal blood, maybe?" I asked, hoping that he would say yes.

"I'm afraid not. But I don't know if you would consider drinking from a pouch that came from the blood bank. You need human blood in your system." he replied, patting my hand.

"It would be such a waste if I let you die. Don't worry, I won't force you to do it if you don't want to." he added.

His eyes were filled with loneliness that he hid so well, but I still saw through them. Could I kill a person willingly? The answer is no. Maybe if I really had no other choice.

"Give me time to think about it." I said suddenly, making up my mind. I will not allow this man who saved me to suffer alone. I f I could ease some of his burden, then I would do it if I can.

* * *

_**A few hours later…**_

Damon left to steal some blood from the hospital, saying that he didn't have any stock left. He told me not to be conspicuous and to behave. I did my best to follow his instructions. I distracted myself by looking at the things in the house, but there wasn't much. He said he was just staying for a couple of nights.

If he goes, will I go with him as a vampire? My mind still wasn't made up. Suddenly, the doorbell rang and forgetting the last few hours, I automatically opened the door like I always did.

"Hello. There was an ad that said that this house is for rent?" The man asked, stepping through the door. He smelled so…inviting.

He looked around the house and I couldn't take my eyes off the blue veins on his neck and imagined the blood that ran through them. I snapped out of my thoughts and was disgusted with myself for even considering that.

I let the man take a look around and closed the door. As I passed by the mirror, I saw the veins surrounding my eyes protrude and become more prominent than ever. I was horrified and covered my mouth, blocking the scream that was threatening to come out any minute.

My jaws hurt and I felt something sharp growing in my mouth. Fangs, I thought. The man asked if I was alright and once he saw what I looked like, he cowered in fear and backed away. Suddenly, I was in front of him and grabbing his neck, looking at him straight in the eyes.

"You cannot tell anyone, okay? You cannot tell anyone." I forced at him, shaking his body.

"I will not tell anyone." he said, zombie-like.

"Really?" I asked doubtfully.

"Yes." he replied in a dead voice.

My fangs grew loner and I could no longer hold back. "I am so sorry. Please forgive me for doing this to you." I said, biting his neck.

I could feel the blood in my mouth, it tastes wonderful. The sweetest thing I have tasted in my entire life. He didn't fight back, until he was already limp from the loss of blood. Minutes after, he was already dead. I pushed his body away from me.

My conscience was bugging me, and I feel like a monster. That man could have done a lot with his life, and yet I just took it away because of my own selfish reasons.

The door opened and my head snapped to that direction. I saw Damon standing there, looking at the dead body and then at me. "I killed him." I choked, looking at the blood on my face and hands.

He hugged me and rubbed my back comfortingly, hushing me. "Shh, it's alright. It's normal for you to crave a lot of blood." he said.

I cried even more, and I kept on saying, "I killed him." while I held onto him like he was a life support. He didn't push me away or anything. He just held me close until I finally stopped crying.

"You could shut it off like a switch, you know? The pain, the guilt, it will all go away if you want to." he said.

I almost considered doing it, but how could I be sure that there was still some humanity left in me if I did that? And so, I shook my head at him. "Does this mean the Change is complete now?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes." he replied, carrying the body out and probably going to bury it in the woods.

Trying not to look at the body, I followed him out and walked behind him. "I guess you are stuck with me then." I said, already decided that I will go with him to keep him company.

"Oh, how lucky I am!" he said sarcastically, although I knew he did want me around.

"Hey, don't be too harsh, I have feelings, too. Don't worry; I will try not to be annoying or anything relatively close to it." I promised, raising my hands, palms up.

"Good." he replied, walking past me into the house.

We talked about each other's lives, how he changed, about my childhood, and our families. I was having a good time until he made a mistake to ask about _him._ Not exactly him but something close. "How did you know about vampires?" he asked, staring at me.

I took a deep breath and prepared myself to tell him. He was like a best friend to me already, even though we just met less than twenty four hours ago. "I fell in love with one." I started, my hands clenching into fists.

"You fell in love with a vampire?" he asked, although not as shocked as he was supposed to be.

"Yes. I thought he loved me back, but in the end he left me. He told me he didn't love me anymore." I replied in a thick voice, my eyes watering.

"Well, he clearly doesn't deserve a girl like you. He must have been a real jerk to let you go." he said, defending me.

"Thank you, for everything. I don't know what would have happened to me if you didn't come into my life." I said honestly, squeezing his hand.

He squeezed mine back and led me to a room where he said I could sleep. The concept was new to me, but I obliged anyway. Before he went away, he told me something. "I am leaving tomorrow. Do you want to come with me or do you wish to stay here in your town?" he asked hopefully.

I didn't have the heart to say no, and there wasn't anything left for me here anyway. Jake would hate me and I will just put Charlie in more danger. "I thought it was clear when I said that you would be stuck with me that I am going with you wherever you go. I just want to leave my dad a letter, if you don't mind." I replied, pleading with him to understand.

"Do whatever you need to finish. Just remember not to give too much away. Goodnight, Bella." he said, walking towards his room.

"Goodnight, Damon." I replied, and went inside my room. I plopped down the bed and after writing the letter, immediately fell asleep.

_**The next day…**_

We went to Charlie very early in the morning, and Damon accompanied me just to be sure. I resisted draining my dad and placed the letter on his bedside table, where he will find it when he wakes up. "Goodbye, Dad. I love you." I said, planting a kiss on cheek.

We are now in Damon's Ferrari; driving to…I don't know where. "Where are we going, exactly?" I asked Damon, raising my eyebrow.

"Welcome aboard to Salvatore Airlines. Our destination is Mystical Falls, Virginia. Please turn off your mobile phones and put on your seatbelts. Thank you and enjoy the ride." he said jokingly, in the way a stewardess talks.

I giggled and pondered what he said for a while. "Mystic Falls, Virginia?" I asked. I never heard of that town before.

"It's a small town, just like Forks. We are going to visit my brother there, and maybe a couple of friends." he replied, turning on the radio.

I immediately recognized the song playing—Claire de Lune by Debussy. It brought back memories and my chest was aching. I clutched it and shut off the radio, fighting back the tears.

He looked at me for a second and said. "It's about him, isn't it?" he asked, understanding why I shut off the radio.

I nodded, and surprisingly, he placed a hand on my shoulder. "I know how it feels, loving a person who doesn't love you back. I felt it when I was human, with my brother Stefan and Katherine. I felt it a few years ago, with Stefan again and Elena." he said.

He needn't say more; he already told me the story of him and his brother. The women he loved always chose his brother over him. "His name was Edward." I said, saying his name straight for the first time since he left.

"We don't need to talk about it. We were given another shot at life, that's why we need to enjoy it this time around." he said, cheering me up.

* * *

_**At Mystic Falls, Virginia…**_

Damon showed me the beautiful and huge Salvatore boarding house. It was old-fashioned, but there was a homey feel in it that made me feel attached to the house. Damon knocked on the wood thrice until finally, a dark-haired woman opened the door.

She looked surprised when she saw Damon, stuttering. "D-Damon? What are you doing here?" she asked, hugging him.

"Don't I have to visit my own house once in a while, Elena?" he joked, smirking at her.

"Of course you do. Who is she?" She asked, finally taking notice of my presence. She was obviously human, and very much alive.

"Elena, meet Bella. Bella, meet Elena." he said, quickly making introductions. She smiled kindly at me and hugged me. "It's nice to meet you, Bella." she said honestly.

I stiffened at the contact, afraid that I might hurt her. Aside from the fact that she smells so good, I still couldn't control my strength yet. I could snap her neck accidentally or something. She instantly felt rejected and withdrew away from me. "Sorry." she mumbled, placing her hands behind her back.

"No, no, really, it's nice to meet you, too. But I don't think I can handle all of this so suddenly." I said, so as not to make her feel bad.

"What do you mean?" she asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Elena, you see, Bella's still new." Damon explained. Understanding quickly dawned on her as she heard his words.

"Oops, sorry. And you Damon, you could have told me earlier!" she chided.

"Well, you didn't give me any chance to talk." he replied, rolling his eyes.

Damon started to walk through the door and I tried to follow, but found that I couldn't get in. There was some sort of barrier that was blocking me. When Elena saw the state I was in, she just said, "Come in." and I was able to get through. Weird.

"You see, vampires cannot get through human dwellings unless they are invited in." Damon explained, leading me to the living room.

Somebody appeared from behind me, and I turned around to see a guy with sort of blonde hair wearing a gray sweater and a pair of jeans. "Damon, you're back." he stated, unsurprised.

"Yes, Captain Obvious, I am." Damon, being Damon, replied.

"Who is this with you? I hope you are not planning another scheme." Stefan said, narrowing his eyes.

"Now, now, little brother, don't be rude. I just came by to introduce Bella to you. Bella, this is my little brother, Stefan. Stefan, this is Bella." Damon said, introducing me to his brother and watching him with his eyes.

"Hello." I mumbled, looking down. I hated being the center of attention. Stefan is looking at me with scrutiny, like I was a Science experiment.

"She is one of us." Stefan stated, glaring at Damon.

"Don't give me that look, Stefan. She was about to be killed by a Cold One." he defended, looking at me.

"A Cold One? Are you sure?" Stefan asked.

"It's true. If it wasn't for Damon, Victoria would have killed me by now." I said, defending him.

"You know her name?" he asked, shocked.

"Yes. She was the mate of the vampire that a…friend of mine killed to save me. She came back looking for me to take revenge." I said, editing some stuff.

"A Cold One killed another vampire just to save you? And you even got my brother to spare you from being his meal? What is it with you anyway?" he asked me, disbelieving.

"Tsk, tsk. Stefan, is that the proper way to treat a lady? I am sure Father will be very disappointed if he is still alive right now." Damon chided, mock punching his brother's shoulder.

"Will the both of you stop it? I can't believe you don't have enough shame to go get a room and do whatever you want to do with each other there." Elena said, glaring at both of them.

"I'm fine, Elena, really. They're brothers, what did you expect? I think it's normal for them to banter with each other once in a while. Have some fun?" I said, trying to lighten the mood.

She just smiled at me and pulled my hand, pushing me down on the sofa. Stefan was about to protest before she raised a finger and stopped him. "You boys go some place and don't bother us. We're going to have girl bonding." Elena instructed, shooing them off.

"I'm not just going to—" Stefan started, and Elena cut him off. "I'm perfectly able to protect myself, Stefan. I have protection with me, just in case. And I think Bella here won't do anything to hurt me." she said, comforting him. He nodded unwillingly, knowing he wouldn't win against her.

"See you in a few, Bella." Damon said, winking at me. I smiled back in response, before turning my torso to face the beautiful girl that treated me like a friend even though she knew I was a new vampire, barely days old.

"Why do you love Stefan? I don't think a human-vampire relationship would ever work. One of you will just end up hurt." I asked, taking the advice from my own experience.

"I love him, Bella, and he loves me, too. I guess people don't see reason when they are in love." she explained, folding her hands together on her lap.

"It's never too late to change your mind, Elena. I know it's not my place to intrude, but you have been so nice to me even if we just met. If he doesn't plan to change you, it's either he would end up getting hurt protecting you or you will die." I said sympathetically. I can clearly see myself in her.

"I would rather die than to be away from him. I just can't, it hurts me to do so." she replied.

"Sometimes, you need to know what's good for you. And you need to learn to love it or at least, accept it because it will be for the best." I told her, tearing up because I know I should have taken up this advice from my father.

"Did you…fall in love with that Cold One you were talking about a while ago?" she asked slowly, reaching for my hand.

A tear fell on the black jeans that I wore, staining it. "Yes. I loved him more than anything, more than life itself. I was prepared to change for him, even though I knew it would be the most painful thing in the world. But he left me, in the woods a couple of weeks after my birthday party. He told me he didn't love me anymore." I choked, my hands clenching into fists.

"He's definitely a jerk if he left a girl like you." she said, hugging me. I immediately stiffened at the contact, feeling the veins around my eyes become prominent once more. I took a deep breath to steady myself, trying to control the urge to kill. My heart was filled with happiness when I was able to resist and I relaxed into her soft embrace and returned it.

It was right there, in that old house, that my friendship with Elena Gilbert was formed, and I knew it was something I would cherish forever.

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**(A/N: Do you like it? It was just a random thing that popped into my head like some sort of fungus or something. Review if you want more!)**


	2. Chapter 2 Preparation

The Angel

Chapter 2 Preparation

_Disclaimer: As I said, I don't own VD or Twilight, okay?_

**(A/N: Pearl and Anna are alive in my story, because I love them very much. Some of the tomb vampires survived, too. Picture of some stuff on profile. Enjoy!)**

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_**Bella's POV**_

It has been three weeks since my transition. I found out that this new life of mine isn't as lonely and sad as my old one. I had Elena, Stefan and Damon as my company, and Elena introduced me to her best friends—Caroline and Bonnie. I was shocked when I heard that Bonnie is a witch. What else existed in this crazy world of mine?

Caroline was one of us, and that didn't surprise me as much. She was a vampire longer than I was. Bonnie didn't approve of me at first, but learned to accept me as a friend when I proved myself to be quite trustworthy. That's because I restrained myself from draining a young boy whose nose was bleeding in the park, and he was only a few meters away. Good thing Caroline wasn't with us.

Damon was so proud of me. He couldn't stop boasting for over an hour. Bonnie agreed to make me a piece of jewelry that will protect me from the sun. She said it will be ready in three days. I was excited to test it, I wasn't able to come out in the sun for so long.

Stefan told me that Katherine disappeared about six months ago, that's why Damon felt the need to leave, too. He felt out of place, like he wasn't needed anymore. Poor Damon. Maybe he didn't admit it or even show it, but I knew he was a good person inside. They thought he didn't have a heart, but I knew deep inside that he does.

All my memories come crashing down at me once in a while. Sometimes, when the pain comes too strong and tries to engulf me, I do as Damon taught me to—I shut off my feelings. I know I don't want to shut it out entirely, because I would be a total monster.

Stefan tried to convert me into an animal blood drinker by tagging me along with him when he went out hunting. I caught a deer but hesitated, grossed out by the smell of it. Not to mention the skin of the deer that was partially covered with dirt.

"Go ahead. It won't bother you once you get used to it and taste the blood." he urged, taking down a rabbit. Seriously, he will just feed on a bunny? But for his sake and to appease him, I drank from the deer anyway, even though it grossed me out a bit. It wasn't even half as good as human blood!

If you ask me, I prefer Damon's way of doing things. Guy knows how to have fun without doing any harm to any person's life. Stefan was a…buzz killer. No wonder even Bonnie could handle him single-handedly with just her mind. I had to admit, she was pretty cool.

"How was it?" Stefan asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Definitely better than bunnies." I said, dropping the carcass and covering it with leaves. He muttered something incomprehensible, clearly agitated with my response.

We went back to the boarding house after Stefan hunted a few more bunnies and some squirrels while I leaned on a tree and watched. Damon and Elena welcomed us home and I smiled in return. Somehow, the word "home" fit the Salvatore boarding house perfectly. I guess this is home for me now.

"So, Bella, how was your first try on the one-hundred percent, Stefan diet approved meal?" Damon queried, holding his hand up to the level of my mouth like he was holding a microphone. I resisted my urge to laugh at him, he was really funny.

"You mean bunnies and squirrels? Forget it, dude, it was quite gross." I said, wrinkling my nose in disgust.

"Look, if you are not going to par—" Stefan started when Damon cut him off. "Brother, let her rest. If she wants human blood, I would gladly share my stock with her." he defended me, as always. He was like my guardian, my personal angel, although I would never tell him that.

Stefan grumbled and went up to his room, with Elena hot on his heels. Damon and I just stared at each other and shrugged, used to Stefan's attitude towards drinking human blood, even from blood banks. There was an awkward silence, then he decided to say something.

"The witch told me to give this to you. She couldn't give it personally because she has to do something important." he said, holding up a beautiful lapis lazuli necklace that would just about go with anything I wear.

The chain itself was long and gold, with blue Swarovski crystals in between intervals of cylindrical lapis lazuli stones. The focal point is the circular button pendant encrusted with rectangular lapis lazuli stones and Swarovski crystals aligned in rows. The outline of the pendant has intricate designs on the edges, giving the necklace a vintage look. All in all, it was lovely.

I stared at it in awe and then looked at Damon. He shifted awkwardly and said, "I might have asked her to revise it a bit and add the blue Swarovski crystals. I noticed that blue is your color." he explained quickly, hiding his face.

"Thank you, it's beautiful! I have to thank Bonnie next time I see her, too." I said, squealing in delight. Surprising myself and Damon, I threw my arms around him and hugged him close. I didn't know why I did it, because I wasn't one to suddenly jump on people and hug them. When I realized what I was doing, I quickly withdrew and placed both my hands behind my back.

"Sorry." I mumbled, swaying like a child. I noticed the necklace was still in his hand, and he noticed it, too. He took my hand and dropped the necklace on my palm. He told me to wear it always and not to lose it, because if I did, I will burn under the sun, and that is something that I would never like to happen to me.

I fastened the clasp and put the necklace on and looked at the huge mirror on the wall. It looked pretty nice on me, and I slowly approached the window, which was mostly covered with the velvet curtains.

At first, I was confident. But as I came nearer to the windows, my step faltered and I trembled. I remembered the time when I tried to get out into the sunlight. It was excruciatingly painful, like being charred alive—almost like I had vampire venom in my veins again. My skin healed quickly, as if nothing ever happened.

Damon was beside me in a flash, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Bella, do you think I will let anything bad happen to you? I will pull you right away if the necklace doesn't work. Then, we can go have the witch for dinner." he said, managing to crack a joke. Any other time, I would be rolling on the ground and clutching on my stomach. Now, I don't think I can find anything funny.

Swallowing hard, I took a hesitant step forward, then another, and another step. One more and I will be under the glare of the sun. Please let it work, please. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the pain, but it didn't come. I opened one eye and peeked to check if I wasn't burning yet.

Luckily, I wasn't. Damon was chuckling behind me and I gave him a playful glare and crossed my arms. "Well, expect me to become more of a pest now since I can walk in broad daylight, too." I said arrogantly, raising my chin up.

"Oh mommy, I'm so scared." he said, placing the back of his hand on his forehead like he was going to faint. In a flash, I was beside him and mock-punched his shoulder, but I guess I didn't know my own strength. He flew to the other side of the room and hit the wall. At least, that ought to shrink his ego a bit.

"Ow!" he said, rubbing his head while sitting on the floor.

"That's what you get for crossing me." I boasted, placing a hand on my right hip. "You're too strong for your own good." he muttered, still not standing up.

"Glad to know that. Come on. Stand up there, will you?" I whined impatiently. I walked towards him and sat on my legs.

"Aren't vampires supposed to be fast? What's taking you so long there?" I asked, looking at him up and down for any signs of serious damage.

"I think you caused brain damage to me. It's hardly functioning." he complained, tapping his forehead.

"You'll live. I don't think you have any injury aside from your "brain damage". If you don't stand up now, I will damage that brilliant brain of yours even more." I threatened, standing up. Suddenly, he grabbed my arm and pulled me down with him.

"Sheesh, what is it this time?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"It's your fault I'm like this, so I'm afraid you might need to help me up." he said, feigning innocence. I snorted, and pulled him up with me not too gently.

"You need to be more gentle, not barbaric." he lectured, dusting off his polo shirt.

"You're just too sissy. Sometimes I don't know who's more sissy—you or Stefan?" I wondered out loud, tapping my chin with my forefinger.

"Hey, if it wasn't for me you'd be a corpse right now." he reminded me.

"So now you're asking for payback?" I challenged, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Not really. Just keep that in mind. Follow me, I want to show you something." he said, patting me on the back.

"Fine." I said, turning around to follow him.

We went up the stairs and he led me to a door that led to…I seriously don't know. He opened the door and motioned for me to come in. The room was large and beautiful, and simply elegant. I figured out that this was his room, and I wondered what his was purpose for bringing me in here.

"This is my room, as you obviously already figured out." he stated, taking a full turn. "Now this is what I wanted to show you." he added, handing me a picture of a woman in 1864. There was a writing on the lower left side of the picture—Katherine, it said. At first, I thought the girl was Elena.

They look like twins! In shock, I staggered backwards and fell on the bed, my mouth hanging open. "When you told me the look alike, I didn't know they resembled each other so much they are like just one person." I said, clutching the picture.

"Surprising, isn't it? We think Elena is a direct descendant of Katherine. But it's really hard to trace the history since it was so far back. We tried researching at Duke University, but our efforts hadn't resulted in anything good yet. I even tried using her real name, Katerina Petrova, but still, no records." he said, lying down beside me.

"Do you still love her?" I asked quietly, twisting my neck to see him behind me. I didn't know where the question came from, it just popped into my head and came out of lips in a chain reaction.

He shook his head, looking at me. "I stopped loving her for a long time already. All I feel towards her now is hate and loathing." he said honestly.

"What will you do if she…comes back?" I asked, thirsty for answers. "Nothing. Protect the town and drive her away. Maybe even kill her if it comes to that." he replied, playing with my curls.

"Why will you kill her if you loved her? Doesn't that count for something?" I asked yet again, curious.

"For her, it doesn't. Look, Bella, all Katherine cares about is herself. She doesn't care even if she sells all her friends and family to her enemies in order to save herself." he said seriously.

"She must be such a horrible person, then." I said, pondering about this woman who Damon loved long ago. How could he love a person like her?

I heard Elena shout from below, "Damon, Bella, Stefan and I are going out for a while, okay?"

"Take your time." I replied, loud enough for her to hear.

Damon and I chatted for a long time about all kinds of things—Goldilocks planet, why people think garlic scares away vampires, and a lot of other stuff.

It was fun to be with him. It was like I was an entirely different person. Damon Salvatore certainly made a mark in my life.

* * *

_**A few hours later…**_

_**Bella's POV**_

Damon and I were having so much fun, with snacks in between. Empty blood bags were scattered on the floor and the sheets and pillows were disarranged due to our little pillow fight hours earlier.

Suddenly, somebody knocked on the door and I thought it was Stefan and Elena, but why would they knock?

Damon was the first to stand, and he pulled me with him. "That person better have a good reason to disturb our bonding time or he's going to turn into dinner." he said darkly, straightening out his clothes.

"Relax. Just keep your cool and don't blow off your top, okay?" I requested. He nodded and took my hand in his. In a flash, we were downstairs and in front of the door. In a very slow human pace, Damon opened the door and I peeked from behind his shoulder.

"Good evening, Damon." A middle-aged woman in a black dress greeted, holding a teenage girl with her. "May we come in?" she added, already stepping in.

I stepped backwards, intimated by their presence. They were clearly one of us, for the woman was wearing a lapis lazuli pendant, and so did the girl. Finally, after we sat down, she noted my presence and spoke to Damon. "And who is this?" she asked, raising an elegant eyebrow.

"This is Bella. She's new to our family." he said stiffly, being too formal. "Bella, this is Pearl, someone from my time." he added.

Pearl laughed, and looked at me. "Nice to meet you, Bella. Damon has a way with words, doesn't he?" she offered her hand, and I graciously took it after stepping in front of Damon.

"Nice to meet you, too. And you are?" I asked politely, motioning at the girl.

"Ah, this is Anna, my daughter." Pearl interrupted, looking between us.

"Hi, Anna." I said shyly. Later, I learned that Anna was older than she looked, and so was Pearl.

"Pearl, what is this "knock-on-Damon's-doorstep-and-bug-him" thing going on?" Damon asked, irritated.

Pearl's face became serious as she stared at him, giving him a pointed look. "Somebody told the old Cold Ones about our location, and they are coming in a week." she stated, giving away no expression at all.

"The Volturi?" I blurted out, shocked.

Pearl turned to me so fast she was a blur, even to me. "You know about them?" she asked sharply.

"Uh, when I was human, I had friends who were Cold Ones, but they left the town I lived in before I was changed." I explained, editing a bit.

"They didn't harm you?" she asked doubtfully.

"No, they didn't. They were…vegetarians." I said reluctantly, taking a step back.

"I have heard of them." she muttered to herself. "We have a problem. They are coming to Mystic Falls, and soon." she added, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth.

"What is the problem with that? Then we stay and fight. This is our home. We can't just leave it without putting up a fight." Damon said, crossing his arms.

I saw Pearl look sideways for a fraction of a second to her daughter, Anna. I am sure she is worried about her safety, so I decided to talk to Damon using mental telepathy. "_Damon, she is worried about losing Anna. You can't just expect her to let her daughter fight. She is a mother and she loves her daughter." _I said mentally.

He nodded his head in understanding, and then decided to placate Pearl instead. "Pearl, if we get ready and prepare ourselves, nobody is going to get hurt." he said soothingly.

"Do you think we can fight them with just a few of us left?" she asked doubtfully. Why, how many vampires are here in Mystic Falls, anyway?

"Yes, I do. We have the upper hand. Only some of them have talents while we can distract them or use our Power on them, right?" he suggested.

She nodded in agreement with him, standing up to shake his hand. "Thank you for your time, Damon. It was nice meeting you, Bella." she said, giving me a small smile.

Once they were off, I faced Damon and asked. "If the Volturi comes, how will I defend myself?"

"You seriously think I am just going to leave you on your own don't you? Don't worry, I will teach you what I know and I will protect you. Just trust me, okay?" he asked, grabbing my shoulders and staring at me. I nodded weakly and stepped back instinctively. Why? I didn't know.

He let go of my arms and looked over at the door, just as Stefan and Elena entered the house. "What are you two doing standing here in the living room?" Elena asked, walking towards us with a questioning look.

"Pearl and Anna came to for a visit. They said we need to round up all the vampires we can get because the cold vamps are coming." Damon explained quickly, smirking from what I presumed is excitement.

Stefan paled tremendously, while Elena had a curious look upon her beautiful face. She touched Stefan's shoulder lightly and asked, "Are you alright? And what is a Volturi anyway?"

He just shook his head and started to grab Damon's arm to lead him away. Meanwhile, I wasn't about to let him do that. I grabbed his shirt, pulled him back, and said, "She has the right to know, Stefan. If you won't tell her, I will. If you really love her, you shouldn't keep secrets from her." I said seriously, glaring at him.

He looked at me for some time, before finally letting go of Damon and I loosened my grip on him a bit. "You're right." he admitted, looking ashamed.

I looked him over for any sign that he was pretending, but saw none, so I let go of him completely. Elena looked a little angry at Stefan for attempting to keep something from her. She gave me a grateful look as she sat down on the couch, waiting for us to do the same.

I followed her lead and sat beside her, crossing my legs. I looked pointedly at Damon, trying to get him to sit down, too. Thankfully, he understood my message and sat opposite us girls, and patted the space beside him.

"Come on, brother, you've got nothing to lose." he said, placing his hands at the back of the couch. Sighing, Stefan sat down but kept a rigid posture. "This is serious, more so than you all probably think." he said, looking at all of us.

"We all know how serious this is. Okay, maybe not so much in Elena's case." I said, joining in. Stefan's lips were pressed into a thin line, a sign that his patience is wearing thin and he was this far from attacking me. "Care to explain?" I added, adding in a smile for him. It was becoming my habit to pester him, something I got from Damon.

"The Volturi is an old coven of vampires, and to be specific, Cold Ones. They sought for power, and will stop at nothing to ensure that there is no threat against them." Stefan started.

"The three leaders are Aro, Caius, and Marcus. The rest of them are guards. Why vampires need guards is something I will never understand. A long time ago, one of them accidentally drank some blood from our kind, and that made him stronger. He became stronger, and his talent became more potent than before." he continued, pausing slightly for effect.

"If he was human, he would have undergone through the Change. But since he was a vampire, and is already dead, the only thing that happened was that the blood slowly left his system after a few days. He returned back to his normal strength and talent, and this frustrated him. Sometime after, he learned of the reason why the blood of his victim made him stronger. He discovered about our existence, and that's why the Volturi has been hunting us down for centuries now." he finished, still being in serious mode.

"So, they are like, vampire royalty?" Elena asked, raising her eyebrows. That brought back memories, from when I was just like her, a human who was still learning about the mythical world where creatures like vampires, werewolves, witches and shape-shifters existed.

And with those memories came the pain of remembering him. The time when he left me in the forest without even any explanation as to his reason for leaving, except the words "You're not good for me, Bella."

I imagined, since we are now equals, that maybe he would think differently of me. But I would never go crawling back to him even if he shows up at my doorstep right now. He would have to prove himself to me this time.

"Hello? Are you alright there? Are you still with us or what?" Damon asked, waving his hands in front of my face. I stared at him and shook my head, clearing it.

"Sorry, zoned out a bit." I mumbled, a blush creeping into my cheeks.

"Figures." he said, smirking. His words made me blush deeper, so I lowered my head in order to hide my face. "So, what's the plan?" he added, looking around.

"We need to train and get as many vampires as we can. How many tomb vampires have survived?" Stefan asked, looking sideways at Damon.

"About ten or so. It's not about the number, bro, it's the talent. We just need to figure out a way to kill them. I don't think stakes and vervain work on those vamps." Damon said, running his fingers through his dark hair.

"They cannot be hurt physically, unless you use really sharp teeth or claws. And I mean razor sharp. They don't die when sunlight hits them either, they sparkle instead. They can die with fire, and some of them have talents that can make you writhe in pain." I answered automatically.

"You really know this stuff, don't you?" Stefan stated, looking at me.

I nodded while Damon's laughter could be heard. "Why are you laughing when all of us are serious here?" I asked, shocked. Did he lose it already?

"Sparkly vamps…can't see why they are a threat to us." he choked, still laughing.

"Look, they may sparkle, but they are still dangerous if we are not careful." I warned. I didn't know why I still bothered, knowing he wouldn't listen anyway.

I sighed and walked up to my room, closing the door behind me. It was simple and yet very beautiful and elegant. I walked heavily towards my bed and started crying my eyes out, for the pain that was brought by those memories a while ago. He still affected me some, but now like there was a hole in my chest anymore. Those days are over, when I would clutch my chest to keep myself together.

But I don't think I could forget them that easily. I never did. They were the reason I was involved in this mess right now because I met them in Forks. Stupid town. No wonder it was named after a kitchen utensil. I heard footsteps and the door closing. Damon is here. Why did he bother? It was a regular thing that sometimes I lock myself up and cry until I fall asleep.

"Go away." I said, my voice muffled by the pillow I was crying on. He didn't budge, but sat down on my bed. I raised my head a little and glared at him, trying to express my seriousness about the matter.

"You think you can scare me with that glare of yours? I have been through hell and back, Bella, and you are just starting. You haven't known the real meaning of the word scary yet." he said with feeling.

I kept my silence, and my head slumped back on the pillow and I hid my puffy red eyes from him once again. "You want to forget everything that happened?" he asked suddenly. That was enough for me to lift my head and look at him so fast that if a human was looking, I would surely be a blur.

"How would I do that?" I asked skeptically. The offer was really inviting, but I was careful not to close a deal without knowing the pros and cons yet. Everything came with a price. I learned that the hard way.

"Well, you just need to throw away your old life and start anew as a different person. We will change your name, your choice of clothing, your hairstyle…everything. You will be good as new afterwards. We will concentrate on training you to be a powerful vampire and we will enroll you in high school with Elena and Stefan." he offered, looking serious, though I still wasn't sure about it.

"Enrolling me to high school? I don't think I could control myself that much yet." I said, although I was nearly caving in.

"I know you can do it. You have been doing great in the three weeks you have been a vampire." he insisted, taking my hand in his.

I bit my lip and pondered this for a whole minute before answering, "Deal. When do we do this?"

"Well, we could start now, although, we need to be careful around town. Caroline's mother knows about us and one toe out of the line and we are all dead. Liz is one of my very few friends, which consists of you, Elena, and her. She could be a very dangerous enemy, I am telling you." he cautioned, staring at me and wiped away the tears. "Plus, we had better put that gorgeous necklace of yours into good use, too. I am starting to get jealous now. That is a lot better than our talismans." he added, feigning disappointment.

I nodded and he pulled me up, nearly dragging me across the room. He didn't even bother to use the stairs. He just jumped down to the first floor and invited me to do the same thing. I hesitated, but followed his example nonetheless.

It was exhilarating. Not to mention fun. We drove across the town in Damon's Ferrari. Good thing he didn't drive so fast. I decided to play with the radio and found something nice on air— "Firework" by Katy Perry. It was pretty nice, so I listened to it.

We stopped in front of a salon, where he opened the car door for me and offered his hand like the perfect gentleman. When we entered the salon, the woman behind the counter asked. "What could we offer you?" she asked kindly.

"My friend here needs a new hairstyle, and probably some highlights. Make-up wouldn't go amiss either." he said, knowing what to answer in a matter of seconds.

The woman nodded and led me away to shampoo my hair. She smelled inviting, but I resisted the urge to sink my teeth into her neck. Not now, not today. This day is important for me. It was a turning point in my life, and it is a major one.

I heard the snip and snap of the scissors and the sound of the blow dryer as she styled my hair. Finally, I zoned out with Damon's face in my thoughts.

* * *

**(A/N: What do you think? Should I continue writing or what? Review and let me know your thoughts on this!)**


	3. Chapter 3 Club Sangre

The Angel

Chapter 3 Club Sangre

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Don't shoot me._

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* * *

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_**Bella's POV**_

After everything has been said and done, I could not even recognize myself. The woman in the mirror seemed surreal, like she didn't exist at all. She had beautiful bouncy brown curls with black and light brown highlights. She had long, full lashes that framed her almond-shaped eyes. Her lips were full and tinted with a subtle pink shade. She had high cheek bones and a sharp nose. Her beauty would surely catch the eye of every man that pass by her.

I placed a hand on my face and the woman in the mirror did the same. I turned around to face Damon who was smirking, his hand under his chin. "What did I tell you?" he asked, gloating already.

"I guess I am on the right path, after all." I replied, just nodding my head in defeat. His hands dropped to his sides and walked a step towards me. "But I am not done yet with you. We need to get rid of your old clothes and buy you a new wardrobe. I don't think I can handle seeing those garbage again." he said, mocking me.

"Hey, don't screw the clothes. They're mine." I said, mock-punching him.

"Whatever, Bella, just as long as I don't see you wearing them ever again." And with that said, he walked away.

* * *

_**A few hours later…**_

_**Bella's POV**_

The back of the Ferrari was full of shopping bags of all sorts. Damon didn't pay any attention to the expenses. All he did was throw clothes at me and ordered me to fit them. Some of them were really far from my style, but the others were just fine.

He knew the thing I hated the most was heels, but he literally forced them to my feet. Now, my make-over is officially complete. I lasted through nine hours of pure hell when I was being pushed around and everything.

"You know, you need to change your name." Damon said, totally out-of-the-blue.

"Change my name? Why?" I asked, my eyebrows furrowing.

"You see, the Volturi might have sent people to spy around here. And if it is true that the Cullens are their friends, they might recognize you. It doesn't have to be permanent, just until after this mess is over. And, we'll still call you by your real name when it's just us." he answered, turning on the radio.

"But what should I name myself?" I asked, arching a brow at him.

"Well, Miss No Name, I have been thinking about it. How about Adriana Felice De Luca? The name is Italian, and I have thought of a really good cover story. We can say that you are a distant family friend from Italy who wanted to study here in good old America." he said, smiling a true smile this time, and not a smirk.

"Sounds like it could work." I said, shrugging. It started to rain outside as we drove through the deserted streets near the forest.

"Oh boy, will Stefan and Elena be surprised at the new you. I'd bet they won't even recognize you." he said, looking me over.

"Why did you decide on Adriana Felice?" I asked curiously. It sounds nice and everything, but I just wondered why he picked that.

"Well, Adriana means "dark" or "rich", and that pretty much express your vampire side. Felice because it means "fortunate" or "happy, and since that is your goal why you even bothered to change your identity, it suits you very well. De Luca was just something I picked off from a book I have read long ago." he said nonchalantly.

I didn't know he cared. He was right. The name suits my life and personality well. "Do I even want to know how long?" I asked, to distract myself.

"Um, probably not. I don't remember either." he replied and shrugged.

I laughed, and even that sounded foreign to me. I haven't laughed in a good, long while, and I tried to make the moment last.

"Hey, emo girl, you actually know how to laugh?" he asked in mock-disbelief, shaking his head.

"Yes. Yes, I do." I replied, winking at him. He smirked, and relaxed against the car seat. We drove in silence until I finally lost consciousness.

* * *

_**At the Salvatore boarding house…**_

_**Damon's POV**_

Pulling up in front of the driveway, I cast a sideward glance towards Bella's sleeping form. She looked so peaceful, breathing in and out rhythmically. I envied her, for I don't think I will ever be at peace.

Hesitating to wake her up, my hand stopped in midair as I pondered about it for a short moment. Finally, I shook my head and tapped her shoulder gently. Her eyes flashed open and my dark eyes met with her depthless brown ones. We locked eyes for some time, until she finally looked away.

"I assume you had a pleasant nap? No bad dreams?" I asked for confirmation, raising my eyebrows.

"You know how I am. I'd scream like madwoman if I am having nightmares." she said quietly, hand unlocking the door.

"Nah-ah-ah. You are not getting out of the door by yourself. Dear Stefan will stake me if he learns that I haven't been a gentleman." I said, appearing on her side and opening the door for her. I offered her my hand and she graciously took it, standing up from her seat. I slammed the car door shut after she was out, making sure it was locked. Not that anybody would dare to try to steal it.

"Now you can tell my brother to go find someone to annoy." I said, smirking. Her lips curled up a little bit, before she arranged her features into a poker face

"Pray tell me, Damon, how could I tell him that if he doesn't even know me?" she asked, and it was her turn to smirk at me.

"How right you are. Well, let me introduce you to my younger brother and his girlfriend, then. Shall we, Bella? Or should I say, Adriana?" I asked, remembering the earlier part of today, when I offered her a new life different from her previous one. A girl like her didn't deserve anything she had been through.

"I think I prefer the latter. Well, well, we should have brought a camera with us. I couldn't wait to see their faces when they hear this." she said, rubbing her hands together and licking her lips before linking her arm through mine.

Inwardly, I laughed as I imagined Stefan's face when he learns about this plan of ours. He would surely be storming around the room and will try to stake me for this. I pulled her with me as I walked towards the door of the boarding house.

The door flew open before my hand touched the knob. Behind it, I saw my oh-so-dear brother with his arms crossed, Elena right behind him. "May I know where the two of you went? Do you think you could just disappear without even leaving a note or something?" he asked sternly, glaring at the both of us.

I felt a hand squeeze mine and I squeezed back, knowing what to do. I could feel her excitement and anticipation rolling off of her in waves. I couldn't help but feel the same, but I kept an emotionless mask on, so that no one would be able to see what I was feeling.

"Well, we just went for a tour around town, if that's what you're asking, Dad." I said mockingly, giving emphasis to the word "Dad". His eyes obviously darkened, and Elena gripped his shoulder to keep his temper in check.

"Um, guys, I think we should take this inside." she said nervously, swallowing hard.

"Sure. Come along now, Steffy." I told him, smirking as we stepped inside. As we passed by them, Bella, or rather, Adriana told Elena, "And girl. I quite hurt, Elena. I can't believe you forgot your friend of all people." she said, smiling. We walked together to the couch and they followed shortly after, sitting opposite us.

"Now, since I think Damon here isn't exactly pleasant to have a conversation with, I'd better speak to you instead, Bella." Stefan started, looking at her.

She raised a hand, stopping him before he could say anything else. "Stefan, for your information, Bella is dead." she said confidently, beaming at them. I couldn't believe their expressions. It was a million times better than I imagined! I laughed loudly, a real laugh and not some fake laugh to annoy people. She was right. This is too precious to go to waste. And so, taking out my phone, I took a quick photo of them and hid it in an inner pocket before Stefan could snatch it away.

"Bear with me, brother. I couldn't resist taking that picture. Just consider it as your birthday gift for me for the past couple of years." I said, not able to stop myself from smirking. He just ignored me afterwards, paying attention to her again.

"You're talking nonsense, Bella. How could you be dead when you are sitting right in front of us? I mean, I know you're dead and everything, we all are. Will somebody please explain this madness?" he said slowly, realizing his mistake as he glanced at Elena who acted indifferently.

"I am not talking nonsense or any of that crap. I am telling the truth. Damon, would you care to explain?" she requested, and I was not one to turn down a girl, especially when she ever so politely asked for it.

"You see, brother, she wants to start anew. And so, we decided to let Bella die and so Adriana is enters the scene. Don't protest, she's still most likely the same person as before, only a tad different. Actually, I am doing a good deed here, so you have absolutely no reason to get angry at either of us." I said, seeing the anger in his eyes.

"He's right. He didn't force me into this or threatened me or anything. I was the one who wanted to do this. I want to start fresh, and forget about the past. I guess I still have my own free will after I was turned, am I correct?" she asked, a little unsure.

"Of course you do. And no matter what, even if you change your identity a million times, you will still be my friend." Elena said, coming over to hug her. "Thank you. And you can still call me Bella if you like, although only in private and if we are sure no one is around. The Volturi might have sent spies here in Mystic Falls and I am not sure if they will recognize me, since they have been friends with the Cullens for a very long time." she said, hugging back.

"Yup, so this is like a part of the plan, too." I added, relaxing on the couch.

Stefan seemed to think for a moment, before finally saying something. "Alright then, tell us everything you can about Adriana. Name, age, likes, dislikes, the scrapbook stuff." he said in defeat.

"My name is Adriana Felice De Luca. Don't ask me where it came from, Damon thought of it. Now you have to think of a suitable nickname for me. I am eighteen years old, and will be starting senior year at Mystic Falls High School as an exchange student from Italy. I am supposed to be a family friend of yours who wants to stay and explore America instead of finishing my studies in Europe. That's the cover story." she started, looking proud of herself and I didn't miss the grateful look she gave me while Stefan and Elena weren't looking.

That alone made me happy. She always did. Somehow, sometime, somewhere, I have grown fond of her. Heck, maybe more. But I wasn't ready to think that I was in love with her. Quite impossible. I learned my lesson from Katherine, and I learned it the hard way. I was right in saving her that fateful day, bloody and about to be killed by the red headed vampire. She made me feel like I was…loved, although I knew she would never reciprocate my feelings, if I indeed have them. I was getting accustomed in being second to everything—to Katherine, Elena, my father. It seemed as if nobody really cares about me enough to choose me. And I was fine with that, really. Who said life was fair?

* * *

_**Two days after…**_

_**Bella/Adriana's POV**_

I started going to school the day right after I changed my whole identity. I was no longer Isabella Marie Swan, but Adriana Felice De Luca. As much as possible, I try to avoid getting too thirsty and so I keep a pile of blood supply at the back of Stefan's car. Normally, Damon sees to it that he drives me to and from school, since he was too much of a gentleman to let me walk. Plus, he said that Stefan might rub off on me and it was something he didn't want to happen. I smiled at the memory, walking through the corridors to my next class.

He has been a big help to me, going as far as to teaching me how to defend myself when the Cold Ones come. Yes, I call them that, because I was used to it already. It didn't feel awkward or anything. Sometimes, when I think of them, all that I feel is resentment and I found myself hating them a couple of times. I hate them for being so greedy and trying to destroy my new life. I wouldn't let them to just that.

Damon said I have been progressing quickly, even managing to pin him to the ground for a few minutes. We started lessons right after we finished discussing plans with Elena and Stefan. Elena watched for a bit, before finally going home. Stefan offered to drive her home as always, for protection, and that left us to enjoy each other's company, and I had absolutely no problem with that.

He taught me a few tricks—what to do when you're caught in a headlock, using my Power over them, using my speed to my advantage and a whole lot of other things. I feel loads better and more confident than before, and I helped in talking to the tomb vampires since they still held a grudge towards the Salvatore brothers, even though they learned that Katherine sold them out to George Lockwood in exchange for her own safety.

Sitting beside Elena and Bonnie for History, I was only half-listening to the teacher when a black crow landed outside the window. My attention was immediately transferred to it as its powerful black wings folded on its sides. Those black eyes seemed familiar, and my eyes widened in realization.

"Damon? Is that you?" I asked, sending a mental message towards the bird. Even I felt crazy for doing so. Vampires don't normally talk to birds, do they? I saw the crow's tiny head sort of nod and I blinked in shock.

Quickly recovering, I started shooting questions at him mentally. "What are you doing here? What if Stefan finds out? Can you teach me how to do that?" I mentally asked all at the same time, not giving him enough time to answer.

"Chill, Addie, I got your back. I just wanted to see how one of my best friends is doing. Is that wrong?" he answered back in mock hurt. I resisted a smile upon hearing the nickname he made for me.

"Is saving me becoming one of your habits now?" I asked, smirking while still pretending to listen to the teacher. History was never my forte, mind you.

"And from what did monstrous beast did I save you from this time?" he asked, pacing along the narrow space. Truly, he should act more bird-like. He looked like a person to me from my point of view. Normal birds didn't pace.

"Well, congratulations Damon, you just saved me from going through an hour of pure Hell. You just gave me a brilliant idea. How about I pretend to feel sick and then we escape together? Stefan will never know." I said, winking for a fraction of a second before completely ignoring him.

I concentrated in trying to look really pale, which wasn't that hard, seeing that I was already pale as a sheet. I could feel him watching me, even if I didn't look. I placed my head in my hands and pretended to groan. One thing I love about my new self was that I could lie better than before. I think I could even pass for best actress in the Emmy Awards.

The teacher noticed me and I groaned, just loud enough for her to hear. Good thing she was a female teacher, and so she felt sympathy for me. "Is there anything wrong, Ms. De Luca? You look pale." she asked worriedly.

I shook my head, and told her I felt a little dizzy. She excused me from class and asked a boy from my class, whose name I couldn't remember, to accompany me to the clinic. Before I got out of the door, I caught a glimpse of the windowsill, and the black crow was nowhere to be seen.

When we were halfway there, I straightened my body and turned to him, looking straight into his blue eyes. "You will go back to the classroom and tell Ms. Perkins that you brought me to the clinic and that the nurse said I wasn't in any condition to get back to class. Do you understand?" I asked, feeling my pupils dilate.

"I understand." he said in a zombie-like voice. In a flash, I was gone and he snapped back to reality, shaking his head then started walking back the way he had come. There was an unnatural breeze behind me. I turned to see Damon, our faces so close I could feel his cool breath on my face.

This surprised me, so I instinctively pressed my body against the wall. "Surprise, surprise. Miss me?" he asked, smirking while leaning against the wall.

"Come on. Don't be so full of yourself, D. And get out of my way, I need to get the nurse to believe that she gave me a check-up and sent me home." I said, pushing at his chest.

He didn't budge and said brightly, "All done. Really, you should have known better."

"Damon, Damon, Damon. What will I do without you?" I wondered, smiling a genuine smile while shaking my head.

"Hmm, you would probably be in either Heaven or Hell, but in your case, I'm not so sure. I believe you equally belong in both. Come to think of it, you should apply as a dark angel. I'm sure they will quickly accept you." he suggested, looking as if he thought about it for a moment.

"I guess I should try that as a career option then. But for now, you and I are going to have fun. Just the both of us. What do you say?" I asked, pointing at his chest with my index finger. He gathered my wrists in one hand and pulled me closer.

"I say we should start right now. What are you waiting for?" he said in a dark voice.

* * *

_**At a club…**_

_**Bella/Adriana's POV**_

I cannot believe it. I absolutely couldn't believe it. Damon brought me to a club. And it wasn't just any club. It was a members-only club that was built especially for vampires. Lovely. And without me knowing, he already signed me up for Club Sangre. Strange name, isn't it?

"Addie, let me introduce you to everyone, okay? Relax, they don't bite." he said, chuckling at his own joke.

"Funny, Damon. You actually brought me to a club which has a name that means "Club Blood" in plain old English." I said, smiling sickly sweet at him.

"Hey, where is your sense of having fun? Did you accidentally leave it at home or something?" he asked, eyebrows furrowing in mock innocence.

"Wait a minute and let me check." I said, checking my purse. "Nope. I think I left it back home. I'd better go and get it, and you are coming with me." I ordered, pulling at his leather jacket.

"I don't think so. Come one, you were the one who said we were having fun today. And so here we are. No need to be antisocial. Remember, you're not old Bella Swan anymore. Hmm, and I like that attitude of yours, it's…sexy." he said, appraising me.

I rolled my eyes and sat back down the stool, ordering a cup of type O negative blood from the bartender, who was also a vampire. Taking the glass, I said my thanks and turned back to Damon. "Fine. Lead the way, then." I said, raising my glass and he did the same. Our glass clinked together and I jumped down from the high stool, slowly sipping the sweet blood.

Damon took my hand and cleared his throat loudly, attracting attention to us. I nearly hid my face behind my hair, when I remembered that I wasn't supposed to be shy anymore. Raising my chin up confidently, I looked at all the vampires surrounding us and the feel of Damon's hand intertwined with mine.

"Guys, I would all like you to meet Adrianna, our newest club member." There were cheers and some offered me welcoming smiles. It was quite nice here, after all. "She's still quite new, so please understand if she doesn't understand some terms used here. That's all. Cheers." he said, raising his goblet full of blood. Unlike me, I believe his favorite is type A.

"Cheers." I said, smiling. A girl about my age with curly red hair and bluish-gray eyes approached me just as Damon left to get another drink. "Welcome to the club, sister. So, did he Change you or he just found you?" she asked, motioning to Damon.

"He did it to me himself. I owe him a lot, actually. So, what's your name?" I asked, smiling politely. Her expression brightened, and she reminded me greatly of Alice. "My name's Cassandra—Cassandra Bellini. Or just call me Cassie. There must be something special within you for him to Change you. He doesn't normally do that." she said, a curious expression on her beautiful features.

"Did you know him for a long time?" I asked curiously, wondering about the real age of my new friend. "Yes. We've been neighbors when he was human. Pearl saved me when I fell off into the ocean. I was also one of the tomb vampires. Lucky you, you're new to this. Believe me, you don't want to experience the discomfort of having stuff stuck on your teeth after centuries without brushing them. Gross." she said, wrinkling her nose. I like her. She had a good sense of humor.

"Yeah, lucky me." I said, laughing with her. Damon came back and said, "Enjoying yourselves, ladies?" he asked, appearing behind Cassandra sneakily.

"Your tricks won't work on me, Damon. Remember, I'm older than you are by over a century. Stronger, and more powerful." she warned, playfully glaring at him.

"Whatever. What did the others say about this weekend?" he asked quietly, a rare occasion in Damon's case.

"All I can say is, they cannot wait to kick some sparkly butts soon. It is high time they were put in their right places. We all had enough, so we are all fighting with you. Mystic Falls is still are home, anyway." she said sincerely, nodding her head at him. Judging by this, I immediately knew she had a lot of control here, being probably one of the oldest vampires.

"See you later, Adrianna. Got some business to do." she said, waving her hand quickly before going off in a flash. I looked at Damon, who took the opportunity to say, "See? You already made friends with some people. But you haven't experienced the real fun yet. Come, let's dance." he said, as music started to play from around us.

* * *

_**Hours later…**_

After hours of dancing and drinking tequila and blood, Damon and I were laughing our hearts out while walking back to his Ferrari. It was my first time to play "Never Have I Ever", too. I had so much fun today, but now, I couldn't even walk straight, and so he supported most of my weight. "We need to do that again sometime soon." I said, giggling.

"Sure, whenever you like. But for now, you are going to seat here and behave." he said, placing me in the front seat.

I pouted while he closed the door. He came in after a few seconds, inserting the key in the ignition. He turned it and the car roared to life. We drove into the night while I tried to do random things. Turning on the radio at full blast, making my eardrums hurt. "Addie, behave!" he said, lowering the volume.

Crossing my arms across my chest, I said childishly, "Since when did you teach me to behave? I'm just having fun." Pouting my lip, he rolled his eyes and drove faster. "Yeah, I did, but that doesn't include annoying me endlessly." he said, looking at me.

Grabbing the steering, the car started to get out of track and swayed left to right. He grabbed my hands before we could meet any accident. "Do you know how hard it was to get this car? Can't you stay still for a minute?" he hissed, taking control.

"Aww…you have to admit that was fun. Life needs a little danger to become exciting." I purred, tapping my fingers on the dashboard.

"How right you are. But we will have all the excitement we need once the sparkly vamps come to town. I heard they're bringing more than they usually do in fights. I would bet they're scared." he stated, smirking.

"Who wouldn't be? Just be sure to give me my fair share." I replied, and saw that we were nearly home. We drove in silence until we reached the boarding house. The lights were off, and I figured that maybe Elena and Stefan went out.

"Mind those two. They were the ones who told us to tell them when we go out. Now they just did the same crime." I said, placing both hands on my hips.

"Well, we just have to scold them later, right?" he proposed, pulling my arm. I let him drag me upstairs, but instead of heading to my room, we headed into his. He pushed me down on a chair, and he sat on another, crossing his legs. "Now, what do you want to do?" he asked, tapping the small round table in between us.

"Any ideas?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. I pursed my lips in anticipation. He usually had a plan in mind.

"How about we work on your offense?" he suggested, flashing me a smile, a real smile. "Sure." I replied, before appearing in front of him in a flash and twisting his arm. His eyes widened in surprise, but he quickly recovered and aimed a shot at me.

I quickly dodged and jumped on his back, trying to put him into a chokehold. It was hard because he had more experience than I did, and he easily threw me off his back. I landed on the wooden floor with a soft thud, and he had me pinned without any escape.

I struggled against his grip, but failed, and so I just lay down on the floor waiting for an opportunity to attack. "Don't even think about it. I know what you're going to do." he said, smirking at me. I let out an exasperated breath. And for the first time, I noticed how he really looked like. I guess I haven't looked at him properly yet all this time we were together.

We were staring at each other for about five minutes. He leaned closer until our faces were mere inches apart and I could feel his breath on my face. My heart was beating faster than usual because of my nervousness. What is he going to do? Surely, it wasn't what I think he was?

He inched closer while I lay frozen on the floor, undecided on what to do. Not hesitating one single bit, he closed the distance and kissed me softly on the lips. It wasn't cold like what I expected, but rather warm. My eyes remained open before I decided to close them and just go with flow.

Don't blame me. I wasn't thinking rationally at that time. I found myself responding to his kisses and thought that they weren't anything like Edward's kisses at all. It felt wrong to think about somebody else while kissing Damon, especially my ex-boyfriend. It just wasn't fair to him, so I twisted my face to the side and he lifted his head a little away from mine to look at me.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that." he said apologetically, his face turning hard, his cold mask resurfacing. I shook my head at him and said sadly, "It's not you, Damon. It's me. It just didn't seem…fair to you. I'm literally damaged goods and you deserve someone a million times better than I am."

His face softened and the Damon I know came back to the surface. "It's about him, isn't it? Edward Cullen?" he asked quietly.

"I'm over him, but I just don't know if I'm ready yet. Damon, I'm—I'm…I'm afraid. I just don't want that to happen to me again. I thought when I changed my identity that everything will be just fine, that I will forget all the pain and that I wouldn't be scared anymore. I didn't know how wrong I was until now. What if Katherine comes back here in Mystic Falls? I know, no matter how much you try to hide it, that you are not as over her as you let us see. I can feel it. And if I let myself fall for you now, and you chose her over me, I think I won't be able to take it." I said truthfully, swallowing back tears that threatened to flow.

"What makes you think I would do that to you, especially? Of all people, I know how it feels to be in the exact, same situation as the one you just described." he said honestly, and paused slightly. "I know…and I understand. What if we just wait and see where this goes?" he asked, arching an elegant eyebrow.

I nodded in approval and noticed we were still in the same position. He seemed to notice, too, and stood up from the floor and pulled me with him. "Goodnight, Damon." I said, biting my lip.

"Sweet dreams, Adriana." he said, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear. That night was the first time I ever dreamt of Damon Salvatore, feeling his warm touch on my face that seemed so real I couldn't believe it was a dream.

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**(A/N: Cliffhanger! What do you think? People who review will get a sneak preview in the next chapter. Likewise, I will do the same with my other stories. What are you waiting for? Click that small rectangular button down there!)**


	4. Chapter 4 Was It Only A Dream?

The Angel

Chapter 4 Was It Only A Dream?

_Disclaimer: I still don't own anything._

**(A/N: Enjoy this chapter of The Angel! Sorry this took so long. I was updating my other stories and I was at a sleepover with my friends.)

* * *

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_**The next morning…**_

_**Bella/Adriana's POV**_

I woke up with a start, hitting my head on the headboard. Groaning, I slowly untangled myself from the blankets and stood up from the bed. Last night, I dreamt about Damon and I, and it all seemed so real but I couldn't be sure.

After I was dressed up and ready, I went down to the living room to see Stefan and Damon glaring at each other. "Hey boys, what's up?" I asked, entering the room. They didn't take notice of me and continued their glaring contest.

"Well, are you going to do that for the rest of eternity and ignore me or what?" I asked again, irritated by their insensitiveness.

"Why don't you ask Damon, Adriana? I am sure he'd be glad to explain it all to you." Stefan finally said, looking at me. I looked at Damon and our eyes met, but he was indifferent. Each second that passed made me feel like maybe what happened last night was really just a dream.

"She doesn't need to know anything, brother." he spat scornfully at Stefan. I was hurt, but I did not let it show and hid my feelings under a cold mask. Summoning all my courage, I said coldly, "If that's what you want, Damon. But I really thought we were more than this."

Squaring my shoulders, I turned around and was gone in a flash. It was raining, just like what I felt inside. It was a mistake to be careless and let myself fall for him. I shouldn't have been too close to him, knowing all men are the same.

I dropped to my knees on the forest floor and cried my heart out, until I heard leaves rustling behind me. Suddenly, there was a hand choking me, blocking my airways. My feet were lifted off the ground and I saw a hooded figure in front of me.

I clawed at the cold hand and struggled against my attacker's grip, but I was having a hard time considering that his grip only became tighter. I concentrated in trying to stare right at him to compel him to let go of me, but he was holding vervain.

He touched the vervain to my face and I screamed in pain, or tried to, wishing for all the pain to stop. I felt a needle touch my skin and I sputtered before finally fainting in the arms of my attacker.

* * *

_**Moments before…**_

_**Damon's POV**_

I woke up early, so I decided to lie down on the couch to wait for Addie to wake up. I heard footsteps behind me, but I knew it wasn't her. "Up so early, little brother?" I asked without looking at him.

"I cannot see the problem in waking up early, Damon. What I can see as a problem is you playing with Bella's heart." he replied, sitting opposite me. I glared at him. How could he say that?

"First of all, you don't have the right to say that because you're only my little brother. Second, you don't know anything." I said coldly, standing up from my seat to get away from this place.

"You know she is only new. Not even a year old in this life. Her feelings are still quite confusing for her at this stage. And the pain from her past life adds to that. Are you really that bad, Damon?" he asked, stopping me.

"Who knows? Maybe I am. Maybe I really don't care enough about her to save her from death." I said sarcastically, facing him.

"I don't know your reason for saving her, but I don't think it is charity. I know you, Damon." he warned, and we had a glaring contest until Bella came into view.

"Hey boys, what's up?" she asked, looking at the both of us. I didn't look at her for fear of getting judged immediately without even hearing me out. Stefan didn't look at her either, and she became irritated.

"Well, are you going to do that for the rest of eternity and ignore me or what?" she asked, completely irritated.

"Why don't you ask Damon, Adriana? I am sure he'd be glad to explain it all to you." Stefan finally said, but I would have liked him better if he had kept his big fat mouth shut.

"She doesn't need to know anything, brother." I spat scornfully at Stefan. I could feel her growing cold, and I would understand if she was angry with me. "If that's what you want, Damon, but I really thought we were more than this." she said coldly before turning around. She was gone in a flash before I could even blink.

"Thanks a lot, Stefan." I said, getting out of the boarding house. I thought of places where she might have gone to, but couldn't think of anything. She could have anywhere, and it could take me days to find her. She was a sneaky little thing, like a narcissus in Greek Mythology—a sweet looking flower with deadly potential.

I don't think she even knew how powerful she is, even as a vampire. She was very fast, faster than lightning. Her strength was, even for a human blood drinker, quite impressive. She as graceful as a hunting lion, but I would never tell her any of these things.

Finally, I decided to look in the dark forest, even though it was raining. Rain meant little to me. The important thing is that I find her and apologize for the things I had said.

I tried using my Power to search for her, to no avail. There was something I stepped on and I looked down to see what it is. It was a necklace. Not just any necklace, but her lapis lazuli necklace. Picking it up, I looked around and called out for her to answer me, but there was no one around. Not even a single animal could be seen.

There was no trace of her anywhere, and I was afraid of what might have happened to her. What if somebody took her? Or worse, somebody killed her? It was my entire fault, and the guilt wouldn't stop bugging me. I need to find her immediately, before it's too late.

* * *

_**Meanwhile…**_

_**Adriana's POV**_

I was slowly regaining consciousness. I didn't know where I was or how long I have been wherever I was. I just knew I had to get out of this place. I tried to lift my head, but it took so much effort for me I just gave up.

My hands and feet were tied with vervain ropes. They cut through my skin and the wounds didn't heal. A few minutes later, my vision became clearer and I saw bright lights above me. Maybe I couldn't move properly, but I could still roll over.

I discovered that I was on a huge bed with beautiful red and gold sheets and soft pillows. My body was weak and I knew if it came down to a fight that I would never win in this state. Stupid vervain syringe. The Cold Ones must know our weaknesses already, and that was a bad thing.

The door at the end of the room opened and a short girl with blonde hair and crimson eyes. I recognized her immediately as Jane, Aro's favorite among his guard because she has the ability to inflict pain upon those who dare cross her and her master.

"What do you want?" I spat, mustering all the strength left in my body. She looked pissed with my show of disrespect, but didn't act on it. "You should know that you are not in the position to cross me. What can you do with vervain in your system?" she asked, smiling evilly.

"Whatever you want, you will never going to get it unless you kill me first." I said, glaring at her.

"If that is my decision, I will do it as slowly and painfully as I could. But since I am not in power, that decision lies with my master. He ordered me not to hurt you, just bring you to him. Don't worry, he will just ask you a few questions. Hopefully, when he's done with you, he'll give you to me as a present." she said, smirking while cutting the ropes that bound my feet.

She stood at the foot of the bed and dragged me outside until we reached a wooden door. She held it open for me and once we were inside, she let go of me and I saw the three legendary vampires—Aro, Caius, and Marcus, but there were other vampires, too, which includes the guards and most especially…the people who completed and destroyed my life at the same time—the Cullens. Edward had a girl about sixteen years old clutching on his arm. I guess he found a mate, after all.

But I wasn't affected by that fact. I don't care even if they recognize me. I just want to get this over with. Facing the three vampire leaders with my head held high, I waited for them to say something. Aro stood up from his throne and spread his arms wide as if welcoming me.

"Ah. It is so nice to have you here, young one. May I ask what your name is?" he asked, like the perfect gentleman. I, of course, knew that he was just sugar coating his words so that I will fall for his trap.

"Stop the sugar coating, Aro. I know what you want and you're not getting it." I said, staring at him. He sighed quietly, but still didn't lose his cheery façade.

"This I promise you, young one. We will set you free after you cooperate with us. We will just ask you a couple of questions and then you are free to go." he replied, walking towards me.

"If you think I'd believe that, then you must be really stupid." I replied, smirking. I know what I'm doing is crazy, but I couldn't care less. Jane looked really pissed and I smirked right at her face, making her growl.

"Master asks for your name. You answer properly!" she barked, crouching low to the ground. I knew, thanks to Carlisle, that she wasn't that good in combat if she didn't have her talent.

"You want to know my name? My name…is Adriana. And that's all you're getting out of me." I said, my eyes turning into slits.

"Well, Adriana…a beautiful name for such a gorgeous young woman. You came from Mystic Falls, correct?" he asked, circling me.

"I live in Mystic Falls and it is my home. But I wasn't born there or anything. Why do you care anyway? You don't even know me." I replied, feeling his every move. He stopped in front of me, lifting my chin up.

I turned my head on the side and spat at him, glaring with hatred at the people who are trying to take down and hurt the people I now consider as family. The entire guard growled and crouched low and only the Cullens and the young girl remained calm.

"I may not know you, but I know that you live with the Salvatores, and your answers to our questions might affect our decision in being civil to them. This might come down to a fight if you don't answer properly." he warned in that sickly sweet voice of his.

The veins around my eyes protruded and I couldn't contain my anger any longer. I was able to free myself from my bonds and I felt my fangs grow longer. There was a huge male guard with big bulging muscles, just like Emmett, that attacked me from behind. He was probably my attacker from before.

He placed me in a chokehold, so I quickly untangled myself from him and kicked his chest. His head hit the wall and it left a huge crack on the marble. "That's for the vervain that you injected in my system." I spat, my instincts guiding me.

Aro raised a hand and all went back to their normal posture, but there was still a slight trace of savageness in their faces. Felix stood up and bared his teeth, hissing at me. I raised an eyebrow as if to challenge him, but Aro gave him a pointed look.

"I must apologize, dear Adriana, for the uncomfortable situation we put you in before. We were only ensuring our security here seeing that you are very…powerful." he said, calculating his words.

"I am damned if you count that as uncomfortable." I muttered, looking at the floor. He ignored my remark as if he heard nothing.

"But you must know that you are playing with fire here, and that is dangerous." he warned, changing the subject.

"Then I'll take my chances." I replied, running out of the room towards the door and knocking down all that stood in my way. I managed to get a few meters head start and thanks to my speed, the distance between me and my pursuers grew farther. I was doing just fine until I was hit by sunlight which burned my skin.

I found out that my lapis lazuli necklace, my talisman from the glare of the sun, was missing. "Damn it. Of all the times I could have lost it, why now? I could hear the Cold Ones getting closer, and I had no time to think of any other option.

Closing my eyes, I mustered all my strength and started using my inhuman speed to the fullest, staying out of view, until I reached a dark place. It was crazy, and I was sore all over, like I was being burned alive. It didn't smell so good either, and I'll bet that will leave trails.

I felt weak now, really weak. But I had to leave this place because it wasn't safe for me to be here. As far as I know, a trip from Volterra to Virginia is approximately eight to nine hours. But thanks to vampire speed, I could reduce that to half.

My wounds were all nearly healed. Only a few left on my arms which were most exposed to the sun. I figured I needed human blood to fuel me, but I don't think I have time to look for a hospital. There was young boy about fifteen standing near my location, and his blood was just so inviting I couldn't resist any longer.

My fangs grew longer and I compelled him before attacking after checking that no one was around. I drank his blood, but I made sure I only took enough to leave him alive and somewhat healthy. Wiping my mouth with my hand, I looked straight into those blue eyes and erased his memory.

I left him on the ground and ran for a couple of hours until I reached Spain. I remained hidden in the shadows, careful not to step anywhere where there is even a small hint of sunlight. There, I boarded a jet plane which I rented using my credit card that will land at Virginia in about a couple of hours. Having a lot of money sure has its benefits. Having the ability to compel humans is useful, too.

The dazed pilot said that we will be there at nightfall. I could only nod weakly from exhaustion and the pain of going under the sun. It was cloudy now. Thank God for the weather. I couldn't fall asleep on my seat. I was sore everywhere, even if all my wounds are healed.

I kept on forgetting my purpose of going to Virginia. There were times during my flight that I even forgot my own name. I just knew I had to get there. Finally, after a few hours, we landed on a huge clearing that I somehow recognized as a place near the graveyard.

I got off the plane and ran, letting my instincts guide me towards my destination. The only thing that kept me going was that someone was waiting for me. After I had run as far as my weak legs could take me, I was in front of a boarding house that seemed really significant to me.

The door opened and out came a dark haired man in a black leather jacket and pants. My knees gave out and he caught me before I crashed face first on the floor. "Damon." I gasped, looking at his eyes before finally losing consciousness. I didn't know how I came to know the name. I just did.

* * *

_**Damon's POV**_

I heard footsteps on the front porch and I quickly opened the door to see who it was, hoping it was Addie. My wish was fulfilled but from the moment I saw her, I knew she wasn't in the best shape. Her knees gave out and I caught her before she totally fell.

She looked at me with those warm eyes of hers and she opened her mouth to speak. "Damon." she gasped before fainting in my arms. I shook her small frame, worried about what might have happened to her when she was away.

"Stefan! Elena!" I shouted, carrying her small body in my arms. They came running down the stairs and looked horrified when they saw Addie unconscious in my arms. "What happened to her?" Elena asked first, placing a hand on her pale cheek.

"I don't know. Somebody get supplies from the basement. She will need a lot of them." I barked, running at inhuman speed to my room. I lay her down on the bed and took her shoes off.

"Here, Damon." Stefan said, handing me an armful of blood pouches. His eyes were dark but he ignored it and stayed by Addie's side. Elena entered the room with a pile of clean clothes in one hand and a basin with water in the other.

"I thought might need this." she said quietly, sitting beside Stefan. I knew he wasn't going to last in a room full of human blood. "Just get out of here, Stefan." I said, sending him out. He was smart and got out in an instant. I opened the first pouch and placed it on Adriana's lips.

"You don't need to see this, Elena. And I don't know if she'll be savage when she wakes up." I said without looking at her. She shook her head and stayed her ground. I should have known she was more stubborn than my brother.

"She's my friend, Damon. She needs me now. And I know that she'll never hurt me." Elena said in a justified voice. I glared at her dangerously but she was indifferent.

"If you don't get out now, it will just be much harder for me to pay attention to what I'm doing! So if you want her to get well, you'd better go with Stefan now." I hissed angrily. She couldn't say anything after that and just went out of the room silently.

But before she got out of the door, she faced me and said, "You'd better take care of her, Damon. I swear I'll find a way to get to you if something bad happens to her. Or if you even so much as try to hurt her." she warned, closing the door behind her.

"I will." I replied, even if Elena couldn't hear. Staring at Adriana's pale face, I gently stroked her smooth skin. "That's right, sweetheart. Drink up so that you'll get stronger." I urged, her chest rising in an unsteady rhythm.

"I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have acted like that." I apologized, not knowing if she could hear. After she finished all the pouches of blood that Stefan got for her, I lay down beside her and wrapped my arms around her body, hoping she'd be okay.

* * *

_**Bella's POV**_

I was dreaming. Horrifying images ran through my mind—images of a bronze haired man leaving me in the forest, a woman with fiery red hair advancing towards me and ready for the kill, and a dark haired man saying words that I couldn't comprehend but had hurt me so much. The latter hurt me the most and I could feel tears sliding down my cheeks.

My eyes flashed open when I felt something cold touch my cheek, just like ice and I was a little disoriented. I was in a dark place and lying on a soft…something. How did I get here?

There was movement beside me and I recoiled, thinking that whatever or whoever it was near me would hurt me. "Addie? Can you hear me? Are you alright now?" The man asked, and he looked slightly familiar. I must have known him from somewhere, but I couldn't remember clearly.

And he called me…Addie? What is an Addie anyway? He took my face in his hands and tried to turn it to the side. "Do you recognize me?" he asked, looking at me with those piercing dark eyes.

Some fragments of memories ran through my mind but nothing that even made any sense. "You…you…you're…" I kept mumbling, clutching my head. Suddenly, one significant memory made me remember him—the memory of him when he was saving me from a Cold One. His name sounded in my ears and I said clearly, "You're Damon."

His handsome face lit up and he hugged me tightly. "I thought you wouldn't remember me. I'm very, very sorry, Addie." he said, kissing my forehead.

"What is an Addie?" I wondered out loud, looking at him. He looked shocked and was taken aback. "You…you don't know who you are?" he asked skeptically. I shook my head at him and he frowned. "But you remember me. What did they do to you?" he asked angrily.

I whimpered and there was a flood of memories coming back to me this time. I still couldn't remember everything, but I can connect the dots. "I ran to the forest and it was raining but I don't know why I was crying. I fell to the ground and sobbed there until I heard someone approaching. He…he choked me and stabbed me with a needle. I can't remember everything. It was all…blurry." I said, gasping.

He rubbed my shoulders and kissed the top of my head then my cheek. "It's okay. You're going to be okay. I won't leave you." he said, hushing me. And somehow, I was comforted by his words.

Slowly, he cupped my face and pressed his lips softly to mine. Everything came back to me and my eyes flew open. I didn't fight him, but I didn't respond either. Then he stopped kissing me and stared at my face. "I remember everything now." I said quietly, staring back at him.

"You do?" he asked, eyes wide. I nodded and blinked back tears. I think it was better if I just didn't remember. The pain…all of it will go away. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said those things and told you what we were fighting about." he said apologetically. "Who took you and what did they do to you?" he asked, furious.

I looked away and said, "Felix took me. He brought me to Volterra and I fought my way out. I went out of the castle and was hit by sunlight. I drank from a young boy and ran all the way to Spain, sticking in the shadows. I rented a jet plane there and it landed near the graveyard. Then I think I ran all the way here and you found me."

He surprised me by hugging me to his chest and saying, "Curse me. I don't even know what I put you through. Just because I was too much of a coward." he said under his breath.

"I never thought I'd hear that from you of all people." I said, hiding a smile. He sighed and muttered under his breath. "I don't what it is with you. You make me do crazy things." he breathed, holding me close.

"Sure, sure, blame it all on me." I said, rolling my eyes. He suddenly looked serious and pushed me back a little. His were like liquid fire. "Why are you so serious all of a sudden?" I asked, laughing nervously.

"Addie…I need to tell you something." he said slowly. I nodded for him to continue and he took a deep breath. I have never seen him like this before, so what he was going to say must be really important. "I know you and I haven't known each other for a long time, but when I saw you nearly dead in the hands of the bloodsucker, I just felt the need to save you." he said, swallowing hard.

"And…?" I asked before he loses his courage to say what he wanted to say. "And…I think I know now why I needed to save you that day." he said, more confident this time. I pressed his hand softly to give him courage. "I did it because…even if we haven't met, somehow, I already loved you." he finished before crushing his lips to mine.

Knotting my fingers on his silky smooth hair, I pulled him closer and poured out all my heart's contents into the kiss. I didn't know which was better, my dream or this? After a long while, we pulled away from each other but never lost contact. "Why are you doing this to me?" I asked and my distress showed.

"What do you mean?" he whispered, touching his forehead with mine. "You're only making this harder for the both of us. Do you know how hard it is to control my feelings when I'm around you? I will never be good enough for you and you know it. We'll both just end getting hurt. So why still continue when we can stop now?" I asked, looking serious.

"Because I don't want to stop. We have a chance to be happy now, and you want to waste it? I already know you're crazy, but not this much. You're unbelievable." he said, shaking his head. He convinced me with those words and I curled up into a ball beside him.

"You know, last night or maybe the other night, I had a dream. And it was about you. We were fighting in your room and you had me pinned on the ground then you inched closer and kissed me." I stated, looking at him. I was surprised to see him smirking, and I questioned him about it.

"What are you smirking at?" I asked, irritated. "You really can't stop thinking about me for a minute, can you?" he teased, wagging his eyebrows. I threw a pillow at him and was about to punch his ribs when he caught my hand.

"I was just joking. But really, who said it was a dream?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "So…it wasn't?" I asked, shocked.

"Nah, I don't think so." he said seductively, our face inches apart. "Good. Don't let me go." I said, pulling him on top of me. We stayed like that for the rest of the night until I finally fell asleep in his arms once again.

Maybe I'm truly out of my mind to put my heart on the line, but I am not passing this chance up. If we are really meant to be, we will stay together for the rest of forever. And I do hope that it will end that way.

* * *

**(A/N: Like it or what? Preview for every person who reviews!)**


	5. Chapter 5 Power

The Angel

Chapter 5 Power

_Disclaimer: Don't own anything, so don't sue me._

(A/N: Sorry for the late update, guys! I had a major writer's block and I was preparing something special for myself because I'm officially getting one year older on the fifteenth of November. And I'm not making up an alibi, mind you. I watched the episode Rose and I cried all night because I felt Damon's pain—loving someone who didn't love you back. So, here it is—the fifth chapter of my story. Enjoy!)

* * *

_**Early the next morning…**_

_**Bella/Adrianna's POV**_

My eyes fluttered open and I noticed that I wasn't in my room, but Damon's. So, it definitely wasn't a dream after all. A smile formed on my lips as I reminisced one of the happiest moments of my life which happened last night.

"Can't stop thinking about me, huh?" A voice whispered in my ear, which I recognized as Damon's. I resisted the urge to smirk at his comment, but I knew that it was true.

"It's not like you aren't thinking about me, too." I bluffed, twisting my head around to face him. "How can you be so sure?" he asked, kissing the tip of my nose.

"How can you be so sure either? Who knows? I might be thinking about a really hot lifeguard right now or a certain bronze haired Cold One." I said, smirking.

"Who cares? I am way hotter than those ninnies." he said, adding emphasis to the word 'way'. I smiled and leaned closer, feeling his cold breath on my face. "I know." I said, before capturing his lips into a passionate kiss which turned into a full make out session.

He was on top of me now and he broke away from our kiss but never lost contact. He kissed down my neck and I bit back a moan. Edward and I never got this far with the boundaries he set between us. It was easy to think of him now. He was just a part of my distant past and nothing more. Damon was my present, and hopefully my future, too.

I remembered that he told me he loves me, but I never said those three words back. I just didn't know how to say it yet. He took off his leather jacket and threw it on the floor, and I was wondering if we will do "it". I just thought it was too early and if it came to that, I think I will stop him and add emphasis on the word 'think' because I don't know if I will even do it when the time comes.

Ugh! What am I thinking? When I was still Bella, I keep on offering myself to Edward, but I can't do the same with Damon? I must be crazy. My mind was snapped back to reality when I heard the door opening and saw Elena standing at the door. A split second later I heard a crash and saw pieces of broken glass and a puddle of water on the floor.

I immediately pushed Damon off of me and sat on the bed, rushing to cover myself with a blanket, even if I was still fully clothed. Damon was indifferent and just stared at her. "Excellent way to make an entrance, Elena." he commented, smirking.

"Sorry, I-I didn't mean to…I'm just going out for a while. I was just going to check if Addie's okay and I think she's more than okay now so I'll see you later." Elena rambled, hand already on the doorknob.

"Um, Elena, wait! There's absolutely no need for you to go, really." I called, jumping off the bed. I saw Damon's eyes darken infinitesimally, and Elena wouldn't have noticed.

"No, no, it's okay. Um, see you later!" she said before going out the door. I sighed and turned around to face Damon who had an irritated look on his face. "Did you really have to ask her to stay?" he asked.

"It's already embarrassing as it is." I replied smoothly, sitting down on the bed.

"What's embarrassing? It's not like we were doing anything wrong." he defended, looking at me.

"Yes, we weren't doing anything wrong but I think Elena's quite shocked." I replied, plopping down on the pillows.

"She didn't look as shocked as I thought she would be." he stated, rolling on his stomach.

"Oh, really?" I asked, rolling my eyes. He raised his head to look at me and said, "Really. I was surprised she didn't scream or anything close to that." he said, smirking.

"She's strong and brave." I said, pursing my lips.

"Just like you. Who else would have the guts to cross the Volturi alone? That's why I love you." he said and I beamed at him.

"I love you, too." I said clearly, looking into his dark eyes which seemed to twinkle as I said those words.

"Finally." he said before capturing my lips into kiss. And I wished time would stop, but of course, everything good has to end.

* * *

_**Moments later…**_

Damon and I are just cuddling on the couch, waiting for Stefan and Elena to arrive. Suddenly, he decided to break the comfortable silence between us and asked a question. "A while ago, when you were having a dream, how did you make those things float?" he asked, playing with a lock of hair.

My eyebrows scrunched up in confusion and I voiced out my opinion to him. "Make stuff float. So, what is this, some twisted joke that should be laughed at or did you hang around Stefan way too much?" I asked, smirking.

"Gosh, woman, I'm serious. Wait, so you really have no idea?" he asked skeptically, eyebrows reaching up to his hairline. I shook my head and his lips pressed into a firm line. He seemed to ponder something and decided what to do.

He took my hand and nearly dragged me across the room and at that moment I could think of just about a million protests. "D, where are you taking me? And could you please slow down for a second? You're not planning to burn me alive under the sun, are you?" I asked somewhat jokingly, planting my feet on the ground.

"Oops, sorry, but I need to get to the witch ASAP. I'm ninety to ninety-nine percent sure that she has the answer to this puzzle. Whatever ability you have, it might be able to help us with the Volturi. Well, I know that we'll win with or without you, but better be sure than to regret it later." he said, looking at me excitedly.

"Always knew I was special, didn't you?" I asked smugly, wagging my brows. He laughed a genuine laugh, wrapping his arms around my waist. "Yeah, kind of, so come on and witchy girl might disappear into thin air." he said, taking a step forward before stopping in his tracks.

"Oh well, before I forget, I believe this belongs to you." he said, holding up a thin chain in between his long, pianist fingers. He held my lapis lazuli necklace and it sparkled even without the sun's rays. Personally, I think it's more beautiful than any piece of jewelry I have ever seen, even if it's not anything close to diamonds.

He placed it around my neck and kissed the soft spot just below my ear. Electricity shot through my veins and I failed to suppress a shudder. "You like that don't you?" he breathed and I could picture a smirk plastered on his face. I rolled my eyes and regained composure before he saw my expression.

"Let's get down to business, lover boy. We have loads of things to do before the big day arrives." I said, changing the subject while pushing him away. It's a good thing he didn't comment on it and followed my lead outside the house. I only hoped upon entering Damon's Ferrari that whatever is wrong…or right with me can help us in this situation. I don't think I can bear to lose Damon and live for eternity. I'm not going through that kind of pain again.

* * *

_**At the Bennett residence…**_

Damon opened the door for me and I reluctantly stepped out, looking at my surroundings. The place looks like a normal American household to an outsider, but to those who hold the knowledge of mythical creatures, it will quickly come off as an abode of witches due to its aura.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked skeptically, briefly glancing at Damon. His lips curled and I'm quite positive he wanted to smirk at that moment but decided against it. He's a smart man.

"You can always back out if you want to. I won't blame you if you feel afraid of Bonnie." he said in mock innocence, and I was sure that he was just goading me. Me, being the new me, took the bait and retorted.

"You would be, too, if you are about to face a feisty little witch. I'm still new in this world of yours, Damon, so it would be easy for her to use her powers on me. If she can do it to someone as old as you are, surely she won't fail on me." I retorted, marching my way to the front porch.

"I may be old, but you can never deny that I am the hottest vampire in the world." he called after me and I stopped in my tracks to smile a little, but he didn't see.

Before I had a chance to knock on the door, it opened and revealed Bonnie behind it. "Uh um, hey, Bonnie, we're just checking up on you just in case anybody got to you. Are you alright? You look a little…pale." I asked worriedly, moving a step forward but found something blocking my way. I couldn't get through the door because I wasn't invited in. Silly me.

"Oops…" I said, embarrassed for forgetting that important fact. Bonnie smiled but it faded away quickly. "Come on in, Be—I mean, Adrianna." she said, stepping aside to let me in. I could feel her glancing at Damon, deciding whether or not to let him in.

"It's alright. He's absolutely harmless." I said, giving emphasis to "harmless". She smiled longer and I hoped it would stay there, but I knew she had something on mind. I just need to find the perfect time to ask her if I could do anything to help. And I wish I do.

* * *

_**Eventful hours later…**_

"So, you think that I'm—I'm like you?" I said disbelievingly, standing up from the couch in shock. Damon pulled me down on his lap and rubbed soothing circles on my back. There is absolutely no way it could be. That was the thought on my mind as I stared at Bonnie's serious face.

It's either she is a very convincing actress or…what she said was true. I personally prefer the former instead of the latter. Could my life be more messed up than it already is? I am already buried deep in this mythical thing too much. So much that sometimes I forget how it is to be normal. As normal a vampire could get, anyway.

"The first time I saw you in the Salvatore boarding house, I knew there was something about you. But I merely put it off as your being a vampire. In the last few days, I felt you getting stronger. It could be physically or mentally, or maybe even both. Does anybody in your family act weirdly or something relatively close to that?" she asked, not blinking even once.

I thought really hard about it, the possibility of anyone in my family acting weird. I vaguely remembered Grandma Swan talking to me when I was little.

* * *

_~o~o~o~Flashback~o~o~o~_

"_Grandma! Will you read me another story? Please, please, please!" I requested, batting my eyelashes at my favorite grandparent. I was spending the summer with her and Renee had no other choice but to indulge me with my whim._

"_Well, how about I just tell you a story? One I made myself, especially for you." she cooed, stroking my hair. I couldn't stay still in my seat with excitement, pulling at my grandmother's wrinkled hand. She was still beautiful even with old age and I wanted to be just like her when I grow older._

"_Alright, and so, years ago there were…" she began, and I was mesmerized at the way she spoke of that story, like it really happened in real life._

_My heart was crushed when she died and I cried in her funeral a lot. But she left me one important lesson in life: Always expect the unexpected._

_~o~o~o~End of Flashback~o~o~o~_

* * *

I snapped out of my reverie which seemed to last forever but in reality, only a few seconds have passed. "Grandma Swan." I whispered, my eyes watering as I remembered my beloved grandmother.

Their heads snapped up and Damon looked at me questioningly. "She was my grandmother. She told me about this story and I think this has something to do with our…dilemma. When I was little, she narrated this story to me about magic and myth. I couldn't remember some of it, but I remember enough.

She said something like, "Someday, you will understand what I mean." although I never understood what she meant by that until now. Bonnie, do you have a way to be sure—really certain that your hunch is correct?" I asked, my voice shaking a little.

"Yes, I do. But first you need to get ready for it. It's certainly not going to be pleasant." she warned, her lips pressing together into a tight line. I nodded in consent and looked at Damon for approval. He understood that I needed this and knew that whatever he did, he won't stop me from trying to know who I really was. And so we began.

* * *

_**An excruciating hour later…**_

For the first time since I was turned into a Vampire, I felt extremely tired. I never felt like this when I escaped Volterra. Now I felt really drained with just a little strength left in me because of the spell Bonnie performed to force my 'Powers' out. "It's normal to feel like that, Adrianna. It's going to be like that at first but you'd get used to it after some time." Bonnie said, offering me a kind smile.

"And just how long is 'some time'? We have no time to waste at all. The Volturi is coming in a few short days—less than seventy-two hours. What am I supposed to do? Sit around and watch while the other Vampires risk their lives to protect our home? No way in hell I am going to do that!" I spat with as much force as I have left in my body. My futile attempt to rise from where I was lying down now was stopped by my boyfriend.

"We can manage without you, Addie. Trust me, we will, but this is no time to tire yourself more. You need to rest, eat a healthy diet of nothing but pure human blood and watch a good DVD. You heard what bitchy—I mean, witchy Bonnie said. Now try to be a good little girl and we'll go home soon, okay?" he said, patting my head like a kid.

"I'm eighteen, Damon. And I'm more than capable of protecting myself. Get that through your thick skull, will you?" I grumbled, swatting his hand away weakly. He rolled his eyes and saluted me. I chuckled weakly but even that simple action drained me further.

"Hmm…I don't think so." he said, looking at me with a goofy grin on his face. My vision blurred and I knew I was going to lose consciousness any moment. "You need to rest, Adrianna. After all, being a witch isn't as promising as people thought it is." Bonnie said, and that was the last thing I heard before drifting into a deep sleep.

* * *

_**A little over two o' clock in the afternoon…**_

I woke up in the arms of my beloved, who was kissing my head softly. "You know, I've never seen a vampire sleep this long before. Usually doesn't surpass the eight-hour mark. But of course, you're different. I always knew you were." he murmured, kissing my lips.

There was a strange taste in my mouth and I knew it didn't come from his kisses. It tasted somewhat like blood, but not human blood at all. I pulled away and knew that my strength before was back, if not more. "What did you do with me?" I asked, poking his chest with my index finger.

He sighed in exasperation and confessed to me. "I promise you, sweetheart, I didn't do anything I shouldn't do. I was merely trying to help you so I fed you some of my blood together with the human ones." he said, running his hand through his dark, silky hair.

My eyes softened and my heart was filled with love for this wonderful angel. I owe him so much. "You did that for me?" I asked in awe, my eyes filling up with tears that blurred my vision. I wiped them away quickly before they fell.

"Anything for you, Addie—anything." he vowed, kissing the hollow under my ear, making me shiver—again. He chuckled and I punched him playfully. This day is an important day to me. This is the day I finally got the man of my dreams and discovered who I really was. Now all of it made sense and I couldn't be more at peace.

* * *

_**A day before the arrival of the Volturi…**_

Today, we have a Masquerade at school. I didn't want to go but Damon insisted upon it. I only obliged in the condition that he would be my date for the night. Of course, he couldn't resist saying yes to me.

Yesterday, I practiced with Damon all day and I could feel myself getting stronger not only physically, but also mentally. I enjoy compelling Stefan slightly, repeating the same scene over and over again until I get tired of it. Elena took it better than I thought and even partook in making fun of him.

Elena is helping me get dressed and I promised to fix her hair afterwards. "El, should I wear black or white?" I asked, showing her the two dresses that I found to my liking. She bit her bottom lip in thought and told me that I should wear the black one.

"I think Damon likes you best in black. He thinks you're extremely sexy in that color." she said, giggling. "You know I'm starting to get jealous now. You two are really close to each other, aren't you?" I asked, pouting.

"No need to get jealous. We're the best of friends and we go a long way back. But I can never compare the love he had for me to the love that I see he has for you. You changed him completely, Addie, and that's saying something. I almost gave up all hope of trying to alter his ways but you did in less than a few days after meeting him. So never ever doubt his love for you, girl, because I doubt he's still going to look for anybody else. You're absolutely perfect for each other, like two puzzle pieces fitting perfectly together. Can you understand me?" she asked gently, placing her hands on my shoulders.

I thanked her for the comfort she provided me and time passed like a blur. Soon enough, we were ready and looking great—she in her silver tube dress and me in my black semi-see through dress with a ribbon in the midsection.

She wore matching silver high heels while I wore black stilettos that I fell in love with the first time I saw them. I picked out black dangling earrings with a black statement ring, black pearl bracelet and black necklace that made my neck look longer. In short, I was wearing everything in the color black.

We decided to be in opposite colors tonight. She picked out a pair of pearl dangling earrings with a white pearl ring, double strand pearl necklace and matching double strand pearl bracelet. I grabbed my purse and mask and took a final look at the floor length mirror.

Elena will wear everything in silver while I wore black. We find it kind of funny in a twisted way. She was an angel while I am, as she put it, a dark one. We also banned the boys from seeing us until the party starts and we'll meet up with them in the venue.

Bonnie and Jeremy are going together while Matt will go with a new chic he met a week ago. I believe it is love at first sight. As for Caroline, well, I really don't know where she is now. Come to think of it, I haven't seen her in the last two days so I decided to talk to Elena about it while we were driving to school using the car Damon so graciously gave me as a 'gift'. And for what? I do not know.

He said something like "It's my gift for you for just being there. Plus, it won't be nice if you keep on riding with me. They'd ask why you don't have your own car. Not that I care, but it will really degrade your social status." he said, smirking.

"Why should I care about that? It doesn't make any difference to me anyway. And it deprives me of the luxury of riding with you." I said, whining. He merely chuckled and shoved the keys into my hands and I had no other choice but to accept the new Audi R8. I snapped out of my reverie and looked at Elena, remembering a question I wanted to ask.

"You know I haven't seen Caroline around these days. Where did the bitch go?" I asked, searching for a decent radio station. The music they play is simply horrible. She looked at me and I knew from the look on her face that she had no clue of her whereabouts either.

"Well, I guess we'll see her tonight. You yourself told me that she never misses a party." I said, shrugging. In no time, I was turning off the engine and doing last minute touches to my look.

"Do you think he'd like my look tonight?" I asked Elena nervously, fidgeting. She chuckled slightly and patted my back. "He'd love it. And even if you wear rags he'd still love you. You can make rags look as if they were made of gold." she said, praising me. I flushed in embarrassment and marched off to the entrance of the school. Before we entered, we put our identical masks on—hers is silver while mine is black.

There were already a lot of people and if I were human, it would have taken a lot of time to search for them. Luckily, I am not and with the help of my vampire senses, I located them after a few seconds of concentration.

"Follow me. I know where they are." I told her, squeezing my way through the crowd dancing on the dance floor. Once we reached them, Damon kissed the top of my head and wrapped his arms around me.

"What's up, gorgeous?" he asked, almost lifting me off the ground while hugging me. I figured he looked godly in his black tuxedo and for once, I felt that we matched. "You tell me." I said, kissing his cheek. But he wasn't contented with that and kissed me on the lips.

"Guys, if you weren't reading the sign. No PDA." Stefan said, interrupting our little moment of happiness and pointed to a huge sign on the wall.

"Whatever, Stefie, as if people even follow that rule." Damon said, going back to our previous engagement. I heard Stefan sigh and Elena roll her eyes. They left without saying another word to us and I liked it that way.

"May I have the pleasure?" he asked after we broke away. I giggled and commented on the manner he said those words. "God, I feel like I was born in your time when big dresses, corsets and all those stuff still exist." I said, rolling my eyes.

He smirked and led me towards the dance floor. We danced for a while until Elena interrupted us with a worried look on her face. "Damon, sorry to interrupt you, but can I borrow her for a while? It's an emergency." she said worriedly, biting her lip.

I looked at Damon and he gave me a look of approval. I let Elena drag me towards wherever we will go and we entered the restroom for some reason. "Addie, I need your help! I think my heels are about to crack and I just noticed it now. What am I going to do?" she whisper shouted, looking around for any sign of people.

"Don't worry, El. You chose the right person to approach. We'll fix that in no time. And you're right. This is an emergency—a fashion emergency, so let's fix it before the situation gets worse." I said determinedly, closing the door with my mind.

"Can you o me another favor? Don't close the door with your Power because it kind of creeps me out." she said guiltily. I smirked at her while taking off her shoe. "You have a vampire boyfriend, two witch best friends, and you're a doppelganger of a vampire and you still feel freaked out by that?" I asked, laughing.

She blushed and before she could blink, I had already fixed the cursed heel. "There, it's already good as new. You go ahead and go back there. I want to freshen up a bit in here for a few minutes." I told her, remembering to open the door manually for her sake. She shot me a grateful glance before disappearing through the crowd.

After I finished fixing my hair and accessories, I went out of the restroom in search for Damon. I smelled his scent and followed it until I reached the back door. I thought he just wanted fresh air so I went out of the door only to find him with a girl. Not just any girl, but Elena.

No, it's not Elena, because the girl is wearing a different dress and accessories. But she looked exactly like Elena that she could pass for the real Elena. So if this is not my best friend, then could this be the one they were talking about who caused all this trouble once and for all—Katherine Pierce?

My instincts were telling me to attack but my reasonable side won and I waited to see what this is all about. Damon has got a lot of explaining to do after this. "I see you've found a new bitch to play with, Damon. She looks fine but nothing compared to me, of course." she said, smirking.

My eyes narrowed in disgust for this person I haven't even personally met yet. She surely is one vain and bitchy person. "Don't dare talk about her like that, Katherine. She's a hundred times better than you are, not only in the outside but in the inside, too. She is better than you ever were." Damon hissed, fists clenching.

Katherine's face distorted and her fangs elongated in reaction to him. "I have eyes and ears everywhere, Damon. I know every single move that you make and I can kill your new plaything without even blinking. And I swear I'll kill every single person important to her, too—a slow torture for her because I heard she's very compassionate and loving, isn't she?" Katherine said, lips curling back.

"If you hurt her, or even try to touch a hair on her head, you'd better say your prayers because I will hunt you down and kill you. Do you understand?" he growled, choking her. As if his strength was nothing to her, she pushed him away and he landed on the floor.

She produced vervain from her pocket and ran it up his face. He screamed in pain and she stopped and stepped back. I bit back a cry and tears started welling in my eyes. My blood boiled in fury and I wanted to kill her for doing that to Damon. But I couldn't do that because she'd probably hurt Damon more and I couldn't bear to watch that.

"You must have forgotten that I have over three and a half centuries on you. What makes you think you can beat me? I'm warning you, Damon. If you don't come back to me, I'll make sure you'd be dead in the hands of the Volturi by sunset tomorrow—not only you, but your precious Addie and company. So, what will it be, Damon—your happiness or the safety of all the vampires in Mystic Falls including you, Stefan, Elena, your bitch, the Bennett witch and all the humans who know about us? Choose, Damon. You don't have forever to do that." she warned, before disappearing into the night.

That left me with Damon, but I was afraid to let my presence known to him and I knew he could manage himself so I left him there. I fled away from the party altogether and drove away back home, if I could still call it that.

Tears started falling down my cheeks and I drove at a rate that was more than the speed limit, a rare sight coming from someone like me. I pulled up on the driveway and ran at vampire speed towards my room. Packing all my things, I was deciding whether or not to let Damon still catch up with me or just disappear and leave a note on his bed.

I decided on the former because after all, he deserves a proper goodbye instead of me leaving him hanging. I paced around the room after changing my clothes to more comfortable ones, trying to figure out what to say when he arrives looking for me. Surely, I could lie to him or make up some story to make it easier for the both of us.

Just after I placed my luggage downstairs and made my way back up, I heard him arrive and I haven't come up with anything yet. But this is now or never and there's no going back now. I waited for him to come here and braced myself for what is surely going to happen. The door creaked open and I took in a sharp breath.

"Addie, are you alright? I couldn't find you anywhere back at the party and I even asked Elena if she could look for you in the ladies' restroom but you weren't there. Did something happen?" he asked worriedly, stepping forward.

My back was to him and I turned around to face him with an unreadable expression. "No. Nothing happened. I just wanted to go home, that's all." I said in a dead voice, crossing my arms in front of my chest.

"Ah, good, good, I thought something happened to you. It's understandable if you couldn't take being too close to that number of people. It's quite normal." he said and looked like a burden was lifted off his shoulders. After a few minutes of silence, he decided to break it.

"Are you planning a trip somewhere? I saw your stuff in the living room. Surely, you're not going anywhere without telling me? If you wanted a vacation so badly, I'll go pack my stuff and leave a note to my little bro so that I could go with you." he said quickly, pointing the door with his thumb.

I shook my head and my eyes hardened, not allowing him to see within me. "I want to be alone, Damon. We can't be together. Everything is just so complicated and I have so much in my life to fix. I think we should just…not be together for a while." I started, swallowing hard before continuing.

"I figured I couldn't just run away from my past. Tomorrow, the Cold Ones are coming and you know Carlisle is friends with them. I even saw the whole family in Volterra. No matter how much I try to forget and run away from my past, it always finds a way to hunt and torment me. I couldn't go on like this forever, Damon." I reasoned, and it was partly true. I wasn't saying the entire truth, but I wasn't lying to him either. He didn't respond and remained frozen, not even blinking or breathing.

"So could you please not make this harder for the both of us? If you really love me, you will let me go. Please." I pleaded, looking into his dark eyes for him to understand. His eyes melted and the most heartbreaking expression I've ever seen on anybody appeared on his handsome face.

"Did I do something wrong? Because if I did, I'll change for you, I promise. I do whatever it takes, just don't leave me." My own heart ripped into two for him and it took everything I've got not to tear up.

"It's not you, Damon. I won't lie to you because you don't deserve any of it. I saw you with Katherine outside the party. I heard everything she said and I think it'd be better for us if we just listen to her. We can't be selfish and stay together even if we know that it'll endanger everyone around us. Even if I am indeed with you but they die, I still won't be happy. I'd just feel guilty. I'm sorry but we just can't be together." I explained, closing my eyes so I won't see his face.

"I love you, Addie. I know you know that, but I doubt you know just how much. I love you, so my only wish is for you to be happy. If that's what you really want, I'd be gone faster than lightning. You just have to say the word and I'll disappear, just like that." he said, cupping my face in his hands.

"I care about you, Damon. I really do. Believe me, if there was another way around this, I won't go but there isn't. I saw what Katherine did to you. She's strong—very strong, not to mention powerful, too. Please remember that I have your best interests in mind, Damon, and that I love you more than life itself. I'll just continue loving you when all this craziness is over. But right now, we have to prepare for a possible battle tomorrow." I said determinedly, attempting to smile.

"Oh God, please promise—just promise me that you will be alright. I want her out of our life forever and the only way to make her stop is by separating. I swear I'll come back to you as soon as she's gone. I could wait forever, maybe more. Please wait for me, too." I pleaded, holding on to his shirt for support.

He gently stroked my hair and I was gone in a flash through the window together with all my things. I revved up the engine and floored it, driving at a speed that is simply suicidal for a normal person.

The first place that came to my mind was Bonnie's house instead of Elena's. They wouldn't think of looking for me there first and I need her to explain everything to me—every possible way to get stronger in less than twelve hours. She didn't ask any question for which I was grateful. I slept peacefully that night even after all the tears that rolled down my cheeks. Hopefully, this nightmare would end tomorrow and I'll stop at nothing to ensure my family's safety. Anything.

* * *

**(A/N: I'm sorry for the late update again. I've had a bad week. I was halfway through with the chappie and classes were suspended today and yesterday because of an accident. You wouldn't even want to know what. I repeat: I'm not making up excuses. If you want me to update as fast as I can, REVIEW! Be generous, please. You keep me going and I don't think I'll live through this week if you don't review.)**

**P.S. Links of Adrianna's and Elena's outfits on profile.**


	6. Chapter 6 We Meet Again

The Angel

Chapter 6 We Meet Again

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything except my own crazy ideas._

**(A/N: Okay…I felt really bad for writing the last chapter. I think it's not up to my usual standards and I didn't quite do my best. I wish this one makes up for it. And can somebody tell me if I should continue writing?)**

* * *

_**Earlier…**_

_**Damon's POV**_

I opened my eyes to see Addie gone. I just needed to see it for myself, thinking that my senses were just deceiving me when I heard her sweet voice saying goodbye. My heart shattered into a million pieces like glass and every piece of it caused me pain.

I feel like being burned alive is so much better than this. This kind of pain that I experienced before in my human life with Katherine, only a million times magnified because I really love Addie.

But life needs to continue, so I ran down the stairs, ignoring my brother and his girlfriend as they arrived. Keys in hand, I entered my Ferrari and sped away, leaving Elena and Stefan flabbergasted.

Tears stung my eyes and I marveled at this new sensation. In all my years, I could count using only one hand the instances when I cried. The worst was seeing my late mother in the wooden casket they placed her in before they buried her six feet under the ground.

I had no particular destination in mind. I just felt the need to drive. Drive as far as this car would go before I run out of gas. It gives me some sort of escape—escape from everything I left behind, even if it is only temporary.

I slowed down my driving subconsciously and I didn't fight it. I stepped out of the car to see that I parked right in front of Club Sangre. Lovely, I just went to a place that brought more memories to the surface of my brain—memories of Addie.

I remember the first time I brought her here. She and I had so much fun dancing together and doing all sort of things that happen in clubs which includes drinking and all those stuff. A sad smile tugged on my lips and my shattered heart ached for her, hoping to be fixed again by her.

Shaking off all thoughts of her, I decided to go inside since I was here anyway. I saw everyone gathered around somebody, listening intently to whatever the person was saying. My leather announced my arrival and everybody turned around to look at me.

"Hey, guys. What's up?" I asked, trying to sound cheerful. Apparently, I succeeded because nobody looked suspicious or anything close to it. "Damon." The person stated bluntly, stepping through the crowd. I recognized her as Rose, Trevor's "friend. I refuse to believe that there is nothing between them, since they lived with each other for half a century.

"Rose." I drawled, crossing my arms. "May I know what's happening and all of you are gathered around here?" I added, looking at her.

"First things first, Damon, where is the girl you brought here last time?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. I gritted my teeth and fought back a growl. I was already doing a pretty good job at not thinking about her until Rose here oh-so-kindly reminded me.

"Addie is doing something else right now. But she will be with us tomorrow." I said slowly, taking a sharp intake of breath through my nose. She looked at me doubtfully but she just shrugged it off.

"Word has it that the Volturi is coming tomorrow after sunset. Of course, this works to our advantage since not all of us can walk under the sun." she said, as if I already didn't know. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and smirked instead.

She glared at me and I glared back until she looked away. "They will pass through the forest near the school. We will meet them before they get even closer because once they get into town, I doubt they will not wreak havoc there." she said in that strange accent of hers which sounded somewhat like British.

"Don't pretend as if you know everything, Damon. You don't even know half of the things I know." she spat, glaring dangerously at me. I glared back, as if to challenge her. I knew it was wrong but something bubbled deep inside me, something that craves for a fight.

It was my old self resurfacing again. I shut my eyes and concentrated on calming myself instead. "I'd be there tomorrow in full battle gear. Trust me. I'll be your personal knight in shining armor and we'd kick those sparkly vamps' butts. But for now, I need to warm up and eat a healthy meal. Ciao!" I called in girlish voice, turning on my heel before finally walking away.

I heard a female voice calling out my name, but I just continued walking towards my car. "Damon Salvatore, if you don't stop right now, I swear you will regret it for the rest of your life." she warned, stopping in her tracks.

"And so, my fair lady, pray tell me. Why would I do that?" I sneered, turning around to face her. I saw a really pissed off vampire older than I was. It was Cassandra, Cassie or whatever you want to call her.

"Because you very well know that I am older and stronger than you are." she said, almost growling in irritation with me. "I want you to deliver a message for me to Adrianna and if this doesn't reach her, I will have your head for payment, do you understand?" she barked, not sounding like her usual cheerful self at all. I guess they all must be really stressed. I am.

"What is it? I don't have much more time to spare for this crap. Make it quick." I said, in vampire speed, irritation evident in my voice. She looked indifferent and proceeded to narrate her message to me to deliver to Addie. I nearly zoned out. My brain is going to catch all of it anyway, so no need to pay too much attention. After all of it was over, I turned my back on her and walked away, not even saying a proper goodbye.

And I couldn't care less.

* * *

_**Early the next morning…**_

_**Damon's POV**_

Okay, this is it. The big day we have all been waiting for. The day the Volturi will come to 'terrorize' our beloved citizens. Oh joy.

For the first time in weeks, maybe years—I don't really keep track of time—I slept for more than eight hours. I could only guess that it was my body's way of coping with emotional pain. Before I met Addie, I knew better than this. I knew better than to let myself suffer for some period of time. What I would normally do in situations like these is shut my feelings off. Why should I let myself suffer more when I could do that?

Well, my answer is that I love her. And I know that even if I do switch off my emotions it will still find a way to haunt me. I personally prefer it that way.

I was looking for a distraction from the worthless pile of books in this house. Something I haven't read before that would surely lure my mind away from the real problem. I have less than ten hours to prepare for a battle. After that, I'll make sure to find Katherine and do what I should have done a long time ago. I am going to kill her. And nobody can stop me this time.

Suddenly, I felt somebody, a presence, around the house—and a very powerful one at that, too. Picking up a stake from the old, dusty wooden desk in the library, I cautiously walked down the stairs to the front door. I waited for the vampire to knock, as I was sure he or she will do soon, and seconds later the vampire knocked on the wooden door thrice.

It was the manner of knocking that caught my attention. Normally, I wouldn't have cared how people knock. But this one is different because it was done with certain…rhythm. And I know only one person who knocks like that.

I opened the door to reveal the person I somehow dreaded and loved to see at the same time. "I see you haven't gone to school whilst Stefan had gone a couple of hours ago. What brought you back, Adrianna?" I said, in a surprisingly cold voice. I immediately felt remorseful but didn't act upon it. Her beautiful features betrayed no emotion as she looked me over with hard eyes, like there was a wall separating me from seeing her emotions.

I must have taught her well then. I wondered whether she turned off her emotions as well, like I was planning to do at some point earlier. "School is quite insignificant right now, or ever. I told you I would come back and help, Damon." she said in an equally cold voice. Well, two can play at this game.

"And I told you that we don't need extra help, too, remember?" I said slowly, like a parent speaking to a three year old kid. She looked agitated more than anything and I saw her eyes darken slightly.

"I am not a kid, Damon, so don't treat me like one. I am going to help because I want to and I don't need any permission coming from you. You're not the only person in this world, you know, so make sure to deflate that huge ego of yours before I do it for you." she said, expressionless. My heart suddenly ached for her sweet smile and twinkling eyes that never failed to brighten up my day.

I don't know what happened for us to come to this. But if we want to get rid of Katherine, I might as well play along. She might be spying us for all we know. That girl is one sneaky vampire, alright.

Stepping around me, Addie marched inside and stopped right in front of the huge fireplace where we had spent a lot of time together. She looked unaffected and sat down on the sofa, crossing her legs in the process.

She shut her eyes, as if concentrating about something important, and suddenly the fireplace was ablaze. I nearly jumped back in shock if not for the long years of perfecting my composure. "I see you have been using the past few hours smartly. May I ask why is it that you decided to hone your witchcraft more than your Power as a vampire?" I asked bitterly, crossing the room in a few strides.

She let out an exasperated breath, as if she couldn't take this conversation for another period of time, even for a minute. "No worries, Damon. I am perfectly capable of using both weapons if I have to. After all, I have been trained only by the best." she sighed.

My guess was that she wasn't thinking about what she was saying. Surely, she didn't mean to praise me? I could understand her praising Bonnie the Bennett witch for helping her with her craft in such a short notice, but I was pretty sure we had an unspoken agreement to stay indifferent with one another. With her, it is hard to tell, indeed. But I had made a promise to myself to stay formal with her until she chooses otherwise.

"Well, if you say so. Anyway, it will be your funeral." I said seeming indifferent on the outside but deep within, I was scared. Not for my safety, but hers. She may be a vampire, and even a witch, but is she really capable of protecting herself? What if Katherine is there and she attacks Addie?

I know that I am no match for Katherine, either. Thus, I cannot think of any other way of protecting the girl that I love. Even Bonnie herself couldn't cause my old lover pain. Vervain doesn't work now, too. That is why I am gambling everything here, hoping that we would be able to take Katherine down.

And I am going to make sure she will, even if I die in the process.

* * *

_**Bella/Adrianna's POV**_

You may ask how I have gotten so powerful in just one night. My answer is…I just needed to learn one skill and the rest will follow. And what skill am I talking about? It is the skill of controlling one's aura and Power whilst trying to let it circulate around you.

That way, I will be able to appear quite normal and not arouse suspicion from the enemies. Well at least, I fervently hope I won't screw things up. The only thing that kept me determined was the fact that I was doing this for Damon. This sacrifice is hurting the both of us, but I will never endanger his life because of plain selfishness. He means something much more than that to me.

It took me a few times before I finally got the hang of it. I felt guilty because Bonnie became so exhausted in helping me circulate my aura and Power that she literally fainted on the spot. It seems that she couldn't use too much Power all at the same time because it drains a lot of energy from her body—not only physically, but also mentally.

I am currently rummaging through old books at the library of the Salvatore boarding house. Damon didn't invite me in but instead, I invited myself. This is still my home even if I left it because of the complexity of my situation with Damon. But it didn't feel so much like home anymore, not with Damon being cold towards me.

I totally understand his reasons for staying away and I also accept his decisions, whatever they are. This was my choice, not his. And he had been hurt too many times for me to even consider doing it repeatedly.

I hurt him once and that was more than enough for him to take. I will accept whatever decision he makes, whether positive or negative. I simply need to accept the fact that he may not come back to me even after all this is over, even with my promise to him. If he welcomed me with open arms, I would surely be the happiest woman on Earth then. I could just hope it ends that way.

But with my luck, a small part of me feels that it won't end too well on my part.

* * *

_**Half an hour before sunset…**_

_**Damon's POV**_

It was half an hour before the expected arrival of the Volturi and I never felt more…uneasy. Like something bad was going to happen. Of course, I couldn't go all pessimistic about this. Even I could tell that it is very unDamon-like.

Vampires arrived in small groups of twos or threes a few miles away from the place where the Volturi will supposedly stop to camp for a while. And "camp" doesn't mean anything good. To us, it means practicing, warming up, feeding and all Vampire-related sort of stuff that you can think of.

I came here with Addie following behind me, but never with me. It's amazing how that woman can change attitude in such a short notice. She went from sweet, loving Addie to cold, unexpressive Adrianna. Somehow I regret changing Bella to another person. She was everything I could ever wish for back then.

"_Regret means nothing now, Damon. Everything has changed in just a matter of hours. I told you what I thought was just because you don't deserve lies coming from me. You deserved the truth, because you saved me not only from death, but also from drowning in self-hatred. And for that, I am forever grateful to you. Whatever happens today, remember that everything I told you was nothing but the truth. No lies." _Addie told me mentally.

I wasn't even aware that my barriers were down or was it that she was just too powerful now that she could invade my thoughts any moment she wishes to? I really hope not. I gritted my teeth as a wave of mixed emotions coursed through me. She was right. From the moment I first saw her, I already saw in her beautiful brown eyes that she was a kindred spirit. She never lied to me in any way at all.

She was…the best thing that ever happened to me. With her sweet smile and angelic voice, I could wish for nothing else. It was then that I swore to protect her with my life for she was my other half, my beloved, my mate—even if I didn't believe in that crap.

* * *

_**Bella's POV**_

Only a few more minutes now before the "vampire royalty", as Edward described them, arrives. A while ago, I had unconsciously delved into Damon's not-so-guarded thoughts and caught him thinking about me. I was struck by how much he didn't understand about me leaving him.

So, my subconscious started making decisions for me and I had already responded telepathically to him before I could stop myself. Perfect. Just perfect.

I had turned away abruptly after that, never speaking a single word to him in case I slip again. It was his safety at risk and the rest of the vampires with us. He is too precious to me to gamble.

My eyes stared at nothingness as I tried to keep my head. This was one of those times where I needed to keep in control and be in-charge of myself. That way, I can protect everyone and kill anyone that dare hurt any single one of my loved ones. I was in Alpha mode.

Adrianna is different from sweet, caring Bella Swan. Bella would never kill a fly if she could help it. Adrianna, meanwhile, will do anything to keep herself and her new family safe. And yes, she could kill if you dare her.

Veins started to bulge around my eyes and my fangs elongated with emotion and bloodlust. Not bloodlust for drinking blood itself, but bloodlust to see those very people who attempt to hurt Damon dead with my own two hands.

Call me cruel, evil, a demon, or whatever you like, but I swear they'd be dead…especially Katherine. Elena told me how she discovered about her ancestor's past. How her real name was Katerina Petrova and how she gave birth to a baby girl who she never got a chance to hold even for a second because of her father and so on and so forth. But it was no excuse to make other people's lives miserable because hers was.

She shouldn't inflict pain on others because in her own twisted mind, she thinks it's only fair for others to suffer as she did. She truly is a mad woman. But I won't let her ruin my life—no, I won't. Or Damon's for that matter. She already hurt him enough as it is. No need to add to the endless pain that she caused him.

"Addie?" A feminine voice whispered behind me, using the nickname Damon ever-so-kindly- christened me with before placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. I spun around to see Cassandra with a worried expression on her face. "Are you quite alright?" she asked quietly, demanding no answer from me.

That is one thing I like about her—she didn't force herself on people, unless they are enemies, of course, and my face returned to its natural state. "I've been better." I breathed, so that only she and I could hear my words filled with sadness.

"You and Damon…" she trailed off, pulling me in a more secluded part of the forest. "What happened between the both of you? The first time I saw you with him, I knew you had deep feelings for one another. I thought when I see you again that you'd both be happy and well. I was even planning your wedding already at the back of my mind." she chuckled, trying to make a joke out of the situation.

"It's very complicated, Cassie. You don't even know half of it." I sighed, shaking my head to rid myself of sad thoughts that came to the surface of my mind. Her eyes flashed in anger, probably making assumptions right there and then.

"What did he do now? I warned him. I warned him earlier that if he hurt you, I'll have his head as payment. That boy…so foolish." she hissed, unintentionally scaring animals out of their hiding places.

"He didn't do anything. It's all on me. I broke up with him yesterday." I whispered, looking down. Her eyes widened in shock and she looked taken aback by my words.

"You…what?" she barely whispered, staring at me as if I had grown an extra head. I closed my eyes and nodded, confirming my earlier words.

"But you—you loved him so much! It was evident that you two were going to end up with each other in some way. My other vampire senses were all but screaming at me that you were perfect for each other. Why did you do that? Why did you deprive yourself of the happiness you truly deserve? Are you crazy?" she whisper-shouted at me.

If this conversation wasn't so serious, I would have laughed until tears streamed down my face. "Maybe I am." I replied, laughing without humor. It sounded empty and hollow, like what I was feeling inside. My laughter stopped immediately and I looked at her soulful eyes in need of understanding.

"I left him because I love him, Cassie. He's the last straw. If he dies, I will surely gladly follow him, wherever Hell he is in. I love him too much, that's why I left him." I croaked, my eyes glistening with tears.

"You…did the same thing your ex-boyfriend did to you?" she asked, but her tone wasn't accusing or even anything remotely close to it. It was just a question, plain and simple.

"No. He doesn't deserve to be lied to, so I told him the truth. I felt the need to leave because he will surely not accept it easily if I didn't leave of my own accord. He would have held on to me. That's why I'm acting all cold and expressionless on him to this time, because I don't want to give him false hope. After all, we might not be reunited after this battle." I explained sadly, keeping the tears at bay.

"I understand." she said, hugging me comfortingly, like a sister I never had. "But what was the reason why you decided to leave? Surely, it wasn't just because of this fight. The two of you are strong and powerful and so are the rest of us. You have nothing to fear." she soothed a few moments later, squeezing my hand.

"The other night, I saw Katherine Pierce. She threatened him and I saw clearly how much she overpowered him. I wasn't able to do anything that night because I stood frozen in my spot, unable to process anything from shock. She said—she said that if he doesn't come back to her, she'd kill. I don't want anybody to die, especially him." I whimpered, shaking so badly from sobs that racked through my body.

"I could do the exact same thing to Damon, you know. He's so naïve sometimes, I can't believe he's over a century old!" she joked, and I laughed with her this time.

"I know that. All the more reason to love him." I said, sighing in frustration. "But she's too powerful and immune to vervain. How could someone be so powerful?" I nearly screamed in frustration, before I held myself back.

"While it is true that Katherine is powerful and cunning, she is not invincible. So are the Volturi, that's why we need to prepare to kick some sparkly ass now, girl!" she exclaimed, suddenly jumping up and down like a kid on Christmas Day.

I felt the urge to roll my eyes but suppressed it—now is not the right time. She bounced off back to where majority of the vampires are gathered together and I followed shortly after. But before we came within earshot of the others, she spun on her heels and faced me.

She looked serious and determined and boy, did she look deadly. I was about to ask her what was wrong when she raised a finger to silence me. "One question: Did Damon Salvatore relay my message to you?" she asked, pausing for dramatic effect.

I raised my eyebrows skeptically and slowly shook my head from left to right. Whatever this message is, it must be important to my friend so as for her to get angry at Damon for not relaying it to me.

Her eyes glinted mischievously and her lips curled into a menacing smile. "God help him. He is going to be so dead." she said slowly, before running at full vampire speed back to camp. I fervently prayed that she wouldn't do anything rash but with Cassandra, you can never tell what she has in mind.

* * *

**_Before the Volturi arrived..._**

I practically grabbed Cassie and pleaded with her to stop whatever she's planning to do. She agreed after some persuading but I feel that she wouldn't just stop that easily. Her eyes didn't lose that evil glint and I started feeling more nervous about her than the arrival of the Volturi. Speaking of their arrival, it is only a matter of seconds before they arrive. We were already in position, with me somewhere in the middle row of our formation. It wasn't much of a formation, really, we were scattered all over the forest before the field.

We walked almost in synchronization as we marched towards what I thought as doom. Cassie was beside me, but it didn't matter too much because we won't be able to talk anyway. At least, not yet. We were positioned behind the trees because the sun hasn't fully set yet. As soon as it goes down and out-of-sight, we'd all step out from our hiding place. Nobody moved or said a word in anticipation to what was going to happen.

Maybe I forgot to mention this earlier, but Bonnie is with us. She said she couldn't let me out of her sight. Meanwhile, she appointed Alaric and Jeremy Elena's bodyguards for tonight, just in case she attempts to come here. Now surely, there would be chaos then. Stefan and Damon don't think she fully understands the danger that this imposes on her and the rest of the humans in Mystic Falls, but personally, I think she does. I think that's why she wants to come with us all the more. It took a lot for me to actually leave her there unprotected.

Alaric Saltzman and Jeremy Gilbert are only humans, even if Jeremy has a ring that would bring him back to life. It's quite unnerving to think about my friend's safety while focusing on an incoming fight. My muscles tensed in its own accord; my instincts going haywire and practically screamed: "Danger!" at me.

Those in the front line, including Damon, walked forward which means they're here. I hadn't even noticed because I was too wrapped up in my thoughts to pay attention. Good thing Cassie took my hand in hers and I noticed how cold my hand was-even for a vampire. She pulled me alongside her as she masked her emotions, the first time I saw her do it. She looked scary, I had to admit at least that much.

Those in front of us kept us away from sight. Guess who was in front of me acting like my protector? Yes, the one and only, Damon. He just stood there in front, shielding me from their view. I briefly saw the Cullens amongst their ranks and it pained me that I might have to kill them tonight, too. After all, they were my family back in Forks. But no, I wasn't Bella Swan, so I need to be strong enough to handle myself well. Damon taught me enough and I was a witch. Bonnie taught me everything she could and I was in debt to her. I glanced sideways at her direction and stared at the dark-skinned girl for a fraction of a second, before riveting my attention back to the Volturi.

"It's showtime." I whispered, and almost everybody from our side smiled knowingly.

The Italian coven finally halted right after we did and some of the Guard uncovered their faces. I didn't recognize any of them to be truthful, but I just knew they had to die, or else it would be us who would be dying. There was one with papery skin and milky red eyes that came forward with arms outstretched, as if greeting an old friend. "Ah! It's so nice to see all of you gathered and ready to fight for your home. Such loyalty..." he said, trailing off a bit in the end.

His words sickened me in a way i couldn't explain, like there was something distasteful in my mouth that I wanted to get rid of. His whole personality screamed: "Traitor!" with his pretense of a smile and seemingly bright attitude. The other one beside him, Marcus, I noticed looked bored and simply...dead, as if he had no reason to live for. While the other one, the blonde one-Caius, looked disgusted and wanted to get rid of us immediately. Oh well, at least he's honest with it.

"What do you want from us?" A woman from our side asked who I recognized as Rose, one of the older ones in our group. Aside from Pearl, she acts like the leader of us all. I personally don't like her for some odd reason. It was Aro who answered her question. "We came here to resolve some problems, if you may." he said softly, like a caress. None of us was fooled by the sound. Need I mention that vampires are used to traitors that's why we didn't trust others easily?

"You have no right to be here. We do not abide by your laws. We are in a different level of Power, might I just remind you." she said, proving her statement by changing the weather and brewing up a storm in the horizon. Aro looked...amused? There was no other word for it. Huh, maybe he was one of those people who loved to learn new things each passing day, even though they're quite freaky.

There was something about him which I just couldn't quite put my finger on, like he knew something we didn't. It was impossible because we researched everything there is to know about mythical creatures that we can find. But, after, all, he lived for thousands of years and his existence alone is already enough education for him.

"Maybe we're not as different as you think, Miss..." he trailed off, not knowing Rose's name.

"Rose." she finished for him, crossing her arms across her chest. She had that stern look on her face that demanded respect and maybe even subservience, if she wills it to.

"Very well then, Miss Rose. We are both vampires, maybe different kinds of vampires, but vampires just the same." he started, while Rose listened intently on what he has to say. "Word has reached us that some humans here know of our existence. If you think that this doesn't pose a danger to us, then you are wrong. We both feed on humans, therefore it will affect both our races if they find out about either one of us. For example, right now I smell a human being among you." he said, flashing a dazzling smile which clearly didn't work on us.

"She with us." Rose retorted, almost ready to blow off her top with another bad thing coming from Aro's mouth. Tsk, he'd better be careful of his words next time.

"Hmm...is that so? Will you allow me to get near her? I swear I won't harm her in any way." he pledged and I immediately stiffened. Rose nodded after a second and allowed him to come over. My blood boiled in anger and my fangs started to get longer and the veins around my eyes bulged as my predator side came out. Cassie and Damon must have sensed my discomfort because Cassie squeezed my hand ever-so-slightly while I saw Damon move his head a fraction of a millimeter. If I had been human, i would never have caught it

Bonnie was hidden behind the rest of us, near the edge of the forest. I could feel Power circulating around her which would have gone unfelt if one didn't know what he/she was looking for. She taught me this in a few hours time and i'm glad she did. I tensed as Aro's distance from us became shorter as he came nearer to us. He was already in front of Bonnie by the time everything within me snapped.

My eyes flashed open as I spun around and stopped his hand in mid-air. "Don't you dare touch her!" I growled, a very menacing sound coming from deep within my chest. Growls erupted from the side of the Volturi as I growled at their master. Almost the entire Guard was crouched near the ground except the Cullens and two hooded figures at the very back. I knew Aro's intentions once he asked to see Bonnie. I immediately knew that he wanted to touch her so he will be able to see her thoughts and probably see into our plans in the process. Everybody was shocked. I kept Aro's talent a secret because...I don't know, it simply felt personal, like I was still keeping Edward's family's secret.

He raised a hand and the Guard silenced and regained composure. And then he focused back to me. "How brave you are, Little One! I make it you don't know who you are speaking to?" he asked sweetly, but I saw his eyes darken at the threat I gave him. I almost snorted-almost.

"Oh, I very well know who I am speaking to, Aro." I said in an equally sweet voice. He was shock at the least but his face didn't betray anything. But then he started laughing like a maniac and he clapped his hands together. "Ah, you know who I am and yet you dare defy me? I've never seen such a bold display in my life, dear me! You would have been very useful if you were a Cold One. Might I ask what your name is?" he asked in glee.

"Why don't you ask your dear friends instead?" I asked, motioning to the Cullens. To say they were shock was an understatement. Emmett's jaw nearly fell to the ground. Edward looked as pale as a ghost while having an arm wrapped around his mate, whoever she is. Carlisle and Esme looked overjoyed after they got over the shock. Alice looked proud and smiled so big it probably hurts. Jasper and Rosalie even smiled a little.

"Bella!" Alice said, breaking the chilling silence that came after my question. She ran to me bouncing up and down, like a kangaroo, before she was blocked by Damon.

"You-will-not-go-near her, do you-understand?" he said through gritted teeth. Alice stepped back and I placed a hand on Damon's shoulder.

"It's alright, Damon. Relax and get over it." I said forcefully, just low enough for our side to hear.

Aro looked curious, to say the least, and gleeful at best. Damon mumbled under his breath and shook my hand off, a gesture that hurt me more than it should. I decided to shut off my feelings temporarily-this could wait after the fight, couldn't it?

I faced the Cullens and said nonchalantly, "Well, my dear Cullens, we meet again."

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**(A/N: Sorry for the late update! As a matter of fact, I shouldn't even be updating anytime soon because I'm in the middle of my exams but because I love you all, I updated while studying at the same time. Review—it makes the updating process faster.)**


	7. Chapter 7 Controlled

The Angel

Chapter 7 Controlled

**(A/N: My dear readers, I am sorry for the delay. I had most of this chapter written and I was about to post it when tragedy struck me. I think I might be undergoing depression which is quite hard to get out of. I had my fears continuing this story because this might turn into a dark fic. I'm slightly better, thanks to…never mind. Anyway, enjoy!)

* * *

**

_**Continuation…**_

_**Adrianna's POV**_

I watched their reactions closely and it made me feel more…well, I can't really explain what I'm feeling. I think it's something about not being a fragile little human anymore. We are finally equals, or maybe I was something more than them.

It made me feel…powerful. My lips curled up into a smile, savoring the feeling that got my blood racing through my body—the elixir that has the ability to give the gift of immortal life. I could sense the shock in the air rolling off from the Volturi, especially Aro.

He recovered from shock quickly; face glowing like a kid receiving the best birthday gift ever. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his silliness. "So, you are Bella Swan?" he asked, beyond amused.

"Yes. Yes, I am. Wait—I stand corrected. I am not Bella Swan." I said slowly, looking into his bright crimson eyes. They look like rubies—only a lot milkier in color.

"Pardon me? What did you say?" he asked, blinking. I sighed deeply, knowing I need not repeat my statement because of his vampire hearing and memory. It is impossible for him not to have heard what I said earlier.

"Do I really need to repeat what I said?" I asked, already knowing his answer. He shook his head, more like he was trying to clear it than saying no to me. "Well, that's good." I huffed, turning my attention back to Damon.

He looked cold…and dead, like he shut his feelings off. Maybe that's what he did and my heart clenched as I remembered last night's events—how I saw that pained look on his face when I said goodbye. It's funny how the last few days seemed like years to me. Everything just happened so slowly that I feel like I'm in a video being played at slow motion.

I really don't know what to do with my feelings anymore—they've decided to go haywire. Sometimes I leave then off then after a few moments I'd turn them on again. I was snapped out of my reverie when I heard Aro speak.

"What do you mean you're not her? You look just like her!" Alice cried out, her small form shaking from her strong emotions. I smiled deviously, not caring what she felt at all. I'm sure it was nothing compared to what I felt when they all left me.

"My dear, have you ever heard of doppelgangers? Because how can you be so sure I am not one?" I asked, playing with them.

I am not going to give it to them easily—not after what they did to me. They broke me, hurt me, and crushed me. And for that, they will pay a price bigger than what they could manage for the damage they've done. All of them.

She looked unsure for a fraction of a second, before I saw determination clearly etched on her face. "No. Why are you doing this, Bella? Why are you denying who you are? What happened to you?" she asked, pain seeping into her high soprano voice.

I laughed humorlessly as I stared at every single one of them. "What happened to me, Alice? Well, let me tell you. You ruined my life!" I growled, my whole body shaking with anger. I tried to rein it in until finally, I couldn't take it anymore, and I felt my fangs elongating and my face starting to look…monstrous.

The Volturi growled and even Aro decided to take a precautionary step back. He made it to the middle of our 'rendezvous' before stopping in his tracks to look at me. Alice was torn between being with me and fighting against me if she had to.

"What is it, little Alice? Scared already?" I sneered, having a little difficulty speaking with my fangs already at its longest. Well, they'd see how wrong they were at leaving me.

"What the hell happened to you? Or rather, what did they do to you, Bella?" she cried out, looking at the vampires around me with hatred. I snarled at her loudly, signaling her to back off. I knew that if we were to engage in a fight that I would win, but she didn't need to know that. Couldn't afford to lose the element of surprise, could we? I had all the Power to block her out and so much more. Damon even said that we might be able to even compel them, depending on how strong their minds are.

"They did nothing to me, Alice. And don't you dare look like that at my family or I swear I will rip your freaking head off!" I cursed, using my anger to make my Power greater. Emotions help a lot in making Powers strong especially when at a strong dosage. That one I learned from Bonnie.

Alice looked genuinely scared, lips quivering like a little girl about to be beaten. I could just feel about everyone from my side literally glowing with the word 'family'. It was nothing but the truth and I hoped they felt the same towards me. In the short time that I had known them, they'd become a significant part of me—one that I couldn't live without. And I swore that I would let them fell that, if, no, when we all survive this obstacle in our dead lives.

I nearly laughed at myself but bit it back, not wanting to lose my adrenaline just yet. I wanted to have some more time scaring Alice out of her wits. "Bella…you can come with us. We can be a family again. We will help you change, even if you're quite different from us." she offered lamely, pleading with me through her eyes.

"I don't know what family you are talking about, pixie. But I'm sure as hell not going with you because I'm right here where I belong." I said to her, looking as if she'd been physically slapped across the face.

"They were here when I needed you. You, Alice, you who claimed to be my sister and best friend—you were supposed to stay with me through everything. But no, you left me. You left without even saying goodbye." I continued, lashing out at her mercilessly.

It was right then that I broke into their thoughts and projected my own memories. Memories of Edward leaving me in the forest—the first few months when I basically felt nothing at all, me waking up as if from a dream, me trying to act normal for Charlie, Jake fixing me up, Victoria catching up with me, Damon saving me, how I had killed that human involuntarily, Damon and I moving to Mystic Falls, meeting Elena and Stefan, Bonnie, and how good my life was without them in it.

I showed them all the painful memories when I was in Forks and the happy ones with Damon, Elena, Bonnie, Caroline, and even Stefan. But I didn't show them the part where Damon and I got together—I couldn't bring myself to think about it.

When I was finished, Jasper was almost to his knees with the feelings he felt from his family. The only Cullen who seemed unaffected was Edward's bitch, who I didn't bother to debrief of my past life. "Did you see that, all of you? Did you see what you did to me? I am happier without you in my life. So why did you even bother to come back? I don't need any of you." I said smugly, looking ruthlessly at their expressions.

"Bella, you have no idea how sor—" Edward started, before I cut him off with a sharp look.

"I don't care how sorry you are, Eddie, but I'm not going to be your faithful little pet again—ever. I'm not buying your act anymore, so get over it!" I nearly sang, eyes glinting wickedly.

Most of them were thinking of something smart to say, something that will convince me to go with them, before Aro ordered them back to line. "Now, my dear Cullens, I see you've joined the Volturi?" I asked, tsking.

Carlisle shook his head but replied in a respectful manner. "No, Bella. We have just come here in Aro's request. He believes your kind endangers us, too." he said quietly, looking down.

As much as I hated Carlisle now, I still held that small amount of respect I had left for him somewhere in my unfeeling heart. So, I settled for a curt nod before turning my attention back to the impending fight, all the while thinking about what is sure to happen soon.

I watched Damon out of the corner of my eye after I reined everything in and I was sure I was calm enough not to go on instinct and shed unnecessary blood.

"Sheesh, Addie…the name Bella doesn't suit you. I prefer Adrianna—it suits your personality more." Cassie whispered so that only our side could hear. I rolled my eyes at her but nodded in agreement. I love my current name for more reasons than one. Not only does it suit me better, but it was Damon who gave it to me. It was enough reason for me to love it.

I shook my head slightly to clear it and concentrated back on the Volturi. I noticed they were…holding hands? The three rulers, at least, looked as if they were communicating without using words. It dawned upon me the reason behind this. They were probably conferencing about what to do next, what with all the surprise meetings and uncovered secrets.

"What are they doing?" Pearl hissed quietly, standing in front of Anna, her daughter. Pearl only shows love to her daughter and no one else, ever since she was betrayed by Jonathan Gilbert. Truth be told, I understand how she feels.

"They are having a silent conference through Aro's gift." I said bluntly, not taking my eyes off the three. I could almost feel at the back of my mind what they were arguing about. Aro most probably wants us alive, hopeful to have even one of us joining him. Caius might want us dead immediately—Edward told me he was ruthless. Marcus…he was kind of dead but I think he was kind before his mate Didyme died.

"Got yourself a brilliant girlfriend, eh, Damon? You were pretty smart to keep her. It's such a waste if you decided otherwise—beauty, intelligence, and very powerful." Another vampire who was situated beside him, Joseph, said. My eyes flashed to him and I tried to control my emotions. I was over a month old in this life yet my feelings still go haywire sometimes, especially when I'm not paying too much attention. If I could still blush, I probably would have been as red as a tomato right now.

Damon looked indifferent as he looked him over once before turning away. Well, at least Joseph just shrugged it off. I like that guy—he was cool, collected, and is able to calm any situation anytime, anywhere, sort of the Emmett type of guy.

"Joseph? Stop it." I said calmly, not looking at him. I knew he was perceptive and he will see the flash of pain that passed through my eyes at the mention of me being Damon's girlfriend. I guess I was, and still wanted to be his girlfriend—maybe even more than that.

"No need to be so feisty, Anna." he said, flashing me a bright smile. I fought back a smile of my own as I thought about his name for me. He calls Pearl's daughter Anna "Belle", because that was the continuation of her name. Meanwhile, he calls me "Anna", because that's the last part of my name. It's kind of a switch but we both love it. He's crazy and we all love it.

I rolled my eyes and my lips almost curled into a smile, with the key word being 'almost'. Just then, I noticed Marcus give a slight nod which I almost missed, if I wasn't a vampire with sharp senses.

My eyes narrowed slightly at the exchange. It could either be good or bad for us and until I could be absolutely certain that they will be safe—especially Damon, I cannot relax.

The three royalties broke apart and Aro drifted towards us like a ghost. He gave Bonnie one last longing look and turned his attention to us. He pursed his lips for a moment and had a look of regret on his face.

"I hoped this wouldn't come down to a fight, but the witch is a risk we could not take. If you want to end this peacefully, I'm afraid you must hand her over to us." he said remorsefully, though I could see clearly through his façade.

Just then, a loud growl ripped its way through my chest and broke the silence that settled between the two kinds of Vampires. Instantly, Felix and Dimitri ran towards me, going for the kill. I poised myself and let my more animalistic side come out.

"_Come on." _I thought to myself. But much to my surprise, before they could reach me, Damon already had Dimitri pinned on the ground while trying to handle Felix at the same time. My thoughts were jumbled for a moment and I didn't know what to do. Thunder rolled overhead and I snapped out of my shock.

Finally, my muscles unlocked and I lunged at Felix, deciding Damon needed more help on him than on Dimitri—although he will never admit it to himself or anyone else. I was handling Felix pretty good until he got a chance to snap at my neck.

I hissed in pain and realization slowly dawned upon me. Vampire venom—the ones from the Cold Ones—is poisonous to our kind. Unlike our blood which strengthens them, their venom weakens us slowly like what it would do to a person who is being changed. Problem is: We won't turn into Cold Ones. We'd die. And that means I have only about three days left to live.

On the good side of things, this situation could be prevented. It may be too late now, but I couldn't be sure because I couldn't even think straight anymore. The last thing I can clearly remember was somebody pulling a man away from me. His words rang clear in my head: "Get away from her."

It was like the voice of an angel—the very same one who saved me not so long ago. It seemed a million lifetimes ago but in reality, only months have passed. I could feel the veins around my eyes bulge, but not because of aggression. It's because of death. And then I remembered that I couldn't give up just yet because I still have a reason to live for.

Now, if I could just remember exactly what that reason is, then it will give me more strength to fight. _"Addie…" _ A voice no more than a whisper said and it was all that I needed to use everything I had to keep the darkness away. It wasn't the kind of darkness that feels welcoming—it was cold, like ice.

I knew I couldn't get out of this by my own and I am in need of someone powerful enough to channel me some Power. So, gathering every single fiber of Power left in me, I started mentally saying an incantation. It was a good thing I require no materials for this one.

"_Im in periculo__;__ non potest clamore vel clamatis. Modo opust es me exire. Quidam audiunt; eaque audio. Veni et salva me, omnes igitur bene.__" _**(English translation: I'm in danger; can't scream or shout. I need a way for me to get out. Someone hear me; hear this spell. Come and save me, then all shall be well.)**

The spell was supposed to have instantaneous effects, making the nearest possible candidate who can save me know of my situation, thus leading to my salvation. But unfortunately for me, nobody came to rescue me.

I could feel everything slowly drifting away. My body felt numb for the first time since I transitioned into a Vampire. My limbs don't act upon my brain's orders. I never thought a Vampire could be paralyzed—literally. Maybe my spell didn't work after all. Maybe no one was coming to help me out of my misery. I'm all alone with nothing to hold on to.

But just when I thought I was a hopeless case, I felt something at the very tip of my fingers. Something—no—someone who was trying to get through the barriers that were already set even before I discovered all about the existence of mythical creatures. That someone sparked another thing buried deep within my very core—something extremely powerful. Not to mention dangerous.

Aro and the rest of the Volturi must have known that their venom is fatal to our kind, that's why Felix aimed at my neck from the start. Well, I should have given them more credit. If I did that, then I probably won't be in this situation right now. Damn it.

Finally, I couldn't keep my thoughts straight anymore because I could feel something stirring within me—something that hasn't been awakened for a very long time. Who knows? Maybe it was never awakened, but I couldn't be sure.

It was a warm feeling, like feeling the sun radiating warmth on your skin. It felt like everything was going to be just fine. It was like having my own personal paradise in my head. Every single good memory replayed in my head, so fast it was all a blur. It overshadowed the bad and painful memories—from Edward, from Damon, from everyone. For once, I found something that gave me peace.

I don't know how much time passed I spent unconscious. Reality was slowly dawning upon me and I never want to wake up if I can help it. But I knew I had to, because all these Vampires with me are worth fighting for. Every single one of them.

My fantasy drew to a close as my eyes flashed open of their own accord and reality came crashing down on me. As I opened my eyes, I saw that a small fight has ensued among Damon, Felix, and Dimitri while our side was trying to restrain Damon to no avail. He was beyond furious at them and he had that look that screams: "You won't live for much longer, assholes!"

He looked terrifying—as handsome as a God yet as dangerous and lethal as the devil. If he was having difficulties earlier fighting both of them at the same time, I can't see any problem now. The weather has turned into a full-fledged storm, one that was caused by tremendous Power.

Nobody was aware that I was already awake and I decided that now would be the best time that somebody knows. _"Bonnie. Can you hear me?" _I said mentally, testing out my Powers as well.

Bonnie faced my direction slowly, as if to be inconspicuous. Ha! Like she would go unnoticed in a field full of vampires. She tried very hard to keep her face free of any expression. And I must commend her for her acting—very convincing.

"_Adrianna! But how…?" _she asked, screaming at me in our heads. I very nearly grimaced but kept my composure. _"I can't explain it either. But I don't think I'm dying any time soon—I hope. How long have I been out?" _I asked casually, trying to lighten things up a bit, even if it was just between Bonnie and me.

"_You were out for some time, but I'm not really sure. Damon is really scary as Hell when you're hurt, huh?" _she asked, smirking at me through her thoughts.

"_This is not the time and place for that, B. We need to do something and fast, before Damon that boy does something that will piss off the Volturi more. Not that I don't approve of it. I'll fix the weather condition then we can both take care of the Cold Ones." _I said urgently to her.

"_Shall we do a spell together?" _she asked, and I agreed. I already know exactly what spell we need to cast in order to set them ablaze. I didn't bother to stand up until I have already made the stormy weather stop.

Most vampires, if not all, looked up to the sky to see that it had cleared. The moon shone mysteriously in the background. It was twilight and night was fast approaching.

"Damon." I said, standing up in less than a second. He turned around to face me, shocked to see me standing and looking healthy. "Impossible. You're impossible." he whispered, and I noticed that Felix and Dimitri went back to their side of the line.

"Stop being so melodramatic, Damon. What were you thinking, seriously? You're going to get us all killed! Now get your ass back here and stop playing hero." I hissed, though I wasn't really angry with him. Not a little bit, not at all.

Everybody looked shocked, to say the least. Well, I wasn't going to let that affect me now, will I? Damon still looked dazed as he walked back at a human pace towards us. He didn't seem to believe his own eyes.

It almost made me smile—_almost. "You're not dreaming, dude. Don't tell me you underestimated me too much to think that I can't handle myself? The problem with you men is that you always think us women are too weak and that we need to be protected twenty-four seven. Well, let me tell you this: I'm not a damsel-in-distress in need of a Prince Charming to come rescue me. Got that?" _I snapped at him telepathically.

My words seemed to snap him out of it and I could sense a smirk on its way. I can picture him smirking inwardly, trying not to let me see through his emotions. I can tell he was relieved that I didn't die of the venom.

Aro looked hungry—power hungry. That guy just wouldn't stop looking at me with greedy eyes, hoping to take me with him so that he could add me to his "collection". But no, I'd rather die first than go with him willingly.

Of course, I have my ways…

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_**Aro's POV**_

Standing just a couple of yards away from me is the girl who has all the traits I was looking for all these years. She is very powerful, that I could tell. I don't even know the full extent of her power. She will be very useful to us, indeed!

I thought she will never wake up again after Felix bit her. Her name was Bella Swan but it seems that she changed her whole identity. That Cullen boy was a fool to let go of such a wonderful creature. Such a waste.

I saw the way that dark-haired man looked at her. I also felt how much he cared about her. He fought Felix and Dimitri to protect her and when she saw what he was doing, she wasted no time in helping him try to dispatch two of the best members of my Guard.

The man—Damon is his name, I believe—fought skillfully and it was quite obvious he must have a lot of experience in the field already. Maybe he was a couple of centuries old but no older than two centuries old. He should have been stronger then because that's how they are. As they get older, they get stronger and more powerful.

Hmm…he will also be a useful addition to our Guard. Not to mention I could use him to control dear Bella. She is very feisty and I doubt she'll serve us willingly. I never coveted any talent this bad. Not even Jane's or Alec's.

Dark, twisted, gruesome thoughts ran through my head at the moment. I could feel how much powerful I will be after I get the two of them. I smiled inwardly, excited at the thought.

What Aro wants, Aro gets…

Little did he know, someone was controlling him and feeding his own intensified evil thoughts.

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**(A/N: Sorry if the chapter is crappy! But I'll do better, promise.)**


	8. Chapter 8 Toxic

The Angel

Chapter 8 Toxic

**(A/N: It's been too long…I know. But I've got issues, so please just bear with me.)**

_**Previously on The Angel…**_

What Aro wants, Aro gets…

Little did he know, someone was controlling him and feeding his own intensified evil thoughts.

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_**Adrianna's POV**_

Aro is acting different; I knew it. Something has changed within him that I couldn't quite put a finger on. I knew there is somebody controlling his thoughts, and I already have an idea who it is; but when I felt Aro's aura, I knew something else is up.

His eyes went blank for a millisecond before he went back to normal as if nothing ever happened, but I know what I saw. I didn't know if anybody else noticed it aside from me.

"Well, we'd all like you to know that we have come to a decision. As much as I hate to say this, but between the two of us, one group has to be totally eliminated or for sure there will be chaos. We will meet you again in three days, in order to give you some time to ready yourselves. Farewell…until we meet again." Aro said, signaling his guards to follow him.

This didn't come as a surprise to us. What did surprise us was he gave us time to actually prepare for the inevitable fight.

Nobody talked after this, and one by one everybody went their separate ways, including me. I needed some space where I can be alone and be free to be myself. I was one of the last ones to leave.

And then, I ran. I ran until I didn't know where I was anymore; I ran so far my head was spinning, even though I am a vampire. I only stopped when I saw this secluded cave that I thought was perfect for me.

I entered the dark, slightly wet cave at human speed and sat down, tears falling involuntarily down my cheeks. So much I had to give up—my happiness with Damon…and for what? It didn't stop the Volturi from coming here to destroy my family. Just when I thought I have finally found my place in this mundane world.

All of it made me feel like I want to be human again. Being human made it seem so easy. Sure, you have to endure a lifetime of pain and suffering, but eventually at some point in time, it will all end when you die. Death is a relief compared to an eternity full of guilt, pain, regret and all those bad stuff.

I fell asleep, feeling confused, hurt, and most of all: I felt the gap within me that can only be filled with Damon's presence.

* * *

_**Half a day later…**_

Then, it dawned upon me. I am not supposed to be weak. Only Bella is weak, and I am not Bella anymore. I am Adrianna; Addie for short. Screw me. I am a very strong woman, inside and out. If for example, I die in the next three days to come, then at least I lived my life to the fullest, right?

Standing up from the uneven ground, I made my way out of the cave and through the thick forest. Destination: Mystic Falls.

It only took me half an hour to reach the Salvatore Boarding House, pushing open the door, only to be greeted by Rose wrapping herself up in a silk robe. "Rose." I breathed, staring at the older vampire before me.

"Oh, hello, Adrianna, have you seen Damon? I've been looking for him ever since I woke up not too long ago." she said in that British-sounding accent of hers.

"Why are you asking me now? You're the one who slept with him, so you should know. I can't believe you! You still have the nerve to ask me where the hell he is. Why don't you look between your legs, slut? He might be buried in there somewhere." I lashed out at Rose, feeling betrayed and furious and deadly and murderous.

I turned around only to find the devil staring right at me. "Get out of my way." I ordered in dangerously calm voice, staring him down even though he is way taller than I am.

"Wait, Addie. Listen I—Let me expl—," his words were cut off by a loud noise produced by my hand connecting with his infuriatingly beautiful face.

"Don't Addie me, Damon." I began, and you haven't even heard half of it. "I am so fed up with your womanizing ways and all the shit you've been giving me. And I can't believe I even loved you in the first place. You're not worth loving; maybe that's why Katherine and Elena chose Stefan over you!" I shouted, pushing him out of my way.

He just stood there, stumped, and I was angry with myself for even thinking that a guy like him could ever be serious in a relationship and fall in love with somebody. I hate myself for being stupid.

Here I am, crying over the guy who I thought was sent from heaven, but he stole my heart and stomped on it—hard. I though the reason Edward stopped loving me because Damon is the one meant for me. How wrong I was!

For the third time this evening, I ran to the only place where I felt safe and protected. I went to Club Sangre to find Cassie and I poured my heart out to her. She didn't say anything; she just waited for me to finish while stroking my hair comfortingly.

All the while, I was drinking my heart out, trying to forget everything that just happened to me. I tried to forget my name, where I was, all the people I've met—my whole identity.

The last thing I remember before I fell asleep on Cassandra's shoulder was the image of Damon and Rose together, poisoning me and killing me slowly.

* * *

_**Elena's POV**_

_**Earlier that evening…**_

I was asking Stefan for details about the meeting with the Volturi and how it went, when Damon suddenly came bursting through the door of my house.

"Damon, may I remind you that there are humans living in this house who might hear you and the commotion you're making!" I hissed at him, until I saw the look on his face. I was about to ask him what happened, but Stefan beat me to it.

"Adrianna, she left." he said in a monotone, scaring me a lot. This isn't the Damon I know, that's for sure.

"Who are you and what did you do to my brother?" Stefan asked, holding a stake from behind his back.

"What did you do this time, Damon?" I asked exasperatedly, pulling Stefan back down on the couch with me.

"She…she saw Rose dressing up in the boarding house. She was quick to make her assumptions." he said, with a somewhat panicked voice.

"WHAT?" I burst out, eyes bulging. Is he telling me that he had sex with Rose and his girlfriend, who also happens to be one of my best friends, saw her dressing up afterwards?

"I seriously don't know what kind of person are you, Damon. You cheated on my BFF, and that is simply unforgivable. Sorry, but if you came here to ask for help to find her whereabouts, I am not going to help you with that one." I said stubbornly. Let's just say that Addie's now a part of the Velociraptor sisterhood.

I say we make a pretty cool bunch—a human, a Vampire, a witch, and a part-Vampire, part-witch. Sounds cool, right? Well, not really. It just means more trouble, but we get by.

In a flash, Damon is right in front of me, his grip tight on my arms. "Elena, you're the only one who knows her enough to know where she went. If you know something, please, tell me. Just—please. I beg you." he begged, and it was strange for me.

Damon never begs for anything—he gets it himself, either by brute force or his charm. Is Addie really that important to him that he'd do anything for her? Only one way to know for sure…

"I'll help you out." I said with a huge smile on my face. He suddenly looked like a child on Christmas Day when he heard this. "Oh, I couldn't thank you enough!" he exclaimed, hugging me tight.

"Of course, you can't. I will only help you on one condition." I said slowly, pursing my lips. His brows furrowed in confusion. "What do I have to do?" he asked.

"Well, you just have to get through our Velociraptor sisterhood—all four of us!" I announced, clapping my hands together. He looked surprised, not to mention scared. "You'll go through Bonnie first, then Caroline, me, and lastly, you need to get Addie to forgive and accept you again. After that, I'll tell you where she is." I bargained, circling him.

"Deal." he answered desperately. I smiled inwardly upon hearing this. Boy, is he in for a ride.

* * *

_**Adrianna's POV…**_

_**Present time…**_

I can't believe I am doing this right now. This is basically suicide. If anybody has to take the blame, it would be nobody else but me.

But this is the most logical thing I will ever do in my pathetic life. Want to know what it is? Well, you have to wait just for a little while more for the whole thing.

You see, right now, I am flying in my animal form through the forest at the fastest speed imaginable for a bird. I know I'm supposed to be flying to the opposite direction, but no, I had to be the good one.

Just then, I saw my target a good few yards ahead of me. I flew faster than I ever dared to try, before I flipped my dark wings one last time and plummeting down to the ground. I stopped just in time for me not to hit the forest floor.

The entire Volturi, including the Cullens, froze in their tracks as I slowly changed back to my "human" form.

"Hello, Aro." I whispered softly, looking at him straight in the eye. He had an amused smile on his face as he took me in. The Guard poised themselves to kill, but I did nothing to even protect myself.

"To what do I owe the pleasure, Bel—Adrianna?" he asked, correcting himself at the last moment.

"I really do hope your Guard will relax a little bit more, don't you think? Why would I come here all alone if I were going to attack any of you?" I asked rhetorically, shaking my head. He said nothing, and I decided to be direct to the point.

"I have a proposition for you." I offered confidently, even though I wasn't sure he'd accept. But a little positivity won't hurt me, right?

He seemed to ponder this for a moment, before finally saying, "Well, go ahead and speak." he responded in that wispy voice of his.

"I'd rather speak with you privately, if you may." I asked politely. Might as well try and be as diplomatic as I can. A growl echoed through the entire forest coming from the Guard in unison, Felix's being the loudest one of them all.

"If she wishes to speak with me privately, then she will get her wish. Leave us be, all of you." he ordered the ravenous vampires. He then noticed that the Cullens have stayed behind, probably wanting a word with me, too. "My dear Cullens, if you don't mind." Aro added kindly, and then they slowly melted into the shadows.

"Alone at last…well, dear, what is it that you wanted to share with me again?" he asked excitedly, like he is about to get the best present ever.

I took a deep breath before finally saying my proposition to him. "Go back to Volterra, Aro." I started, and gauged his reaction based on his expression. He was astonished, to say the least.

"Pardon me? I might have misheard you, Adrianna. I think I just heard you say that you wanted me and my Guard to go back home." he said incredulously. I didn't actually believe the bit about him not hearing what I said in the first place.

He is a vampire, and vampires have superhuman abilities which include extraordinary hearing for one.

"You actually heard me right, Aro. In exchange for this, you can do whatever you want to do with me, and you will never hear a protest coming out of this mouth." I promised, hoping he would just accept and get on with it.

"So, you are saying that you are trading yourself for your…friends?" he asked skeptically. I merely nodded and waited for him to say something else.

"Adrianna, I don't think you get the point of this. We will gain so much more if we capture all of your kind. What makes you think I will settle for you instead?" he asked, raising one elegant eyebrow.

"You don't know me, Aro. You still don't know the full extent of my abilities. I am a Vampire and witch blood courses through my veins. Don't you think you will become more powerful if you have me, willing to obey your every word, than when you do have all of them, but they don't wish to follow you?" I pressed.

"Hmm, you do have a point there. But I still have to confer with my brothers." he added.

"You don't have to ask them about anything. As far as I know, you are the most powerful and influential vampire in existence. You don't need their permission for every decision that you make." I insisted, getting impatient with every second that passed.

That seemed to do the job, because almost immediately, I saw that gleam in his eye. I know how much he loves power and being in control, so I used it to make him agree.

"Very well, then. Follow me." he ordered, making his way towards where the other immortals have gathered.

"We shall go back to Volterra immediately. Felix, call the airline and tell them to have our private jet ready in a couple of hours." Aro ordered, and the muscled man merely nodded and went off to do the task given to him.

"Dimitri…" Aro trailed off, but he understood his master's meaning. In a flash, Dimitri was tying my hands together at my back while I looked at Aro with confusion and betrayal in my eyes.

"We had an agreement, Aro!" I shouted, struggling against the vervain-coated roped that burned my skin.

He now had a look of apology on his face as he slowly shook his head. "I did have an agreement with you, dear Adrianna, but I also had an agreement with somebody else before we even met personally. And I'm afraid I must honor that agreement, because I gave my word of honor in front of the whole Volturi." he apologized quickly.

"Who is it? Who is the damn traitor you made an agreement with?" I raged, veins popping out under my eyes.

"Aww…no need to be so feisty, Addie, I'm sure we will have a great time together." a woman's voice purred.

When I looked up, I was astonished to see the face of the traitor. No, it couldn't be…

* * *

**(A/N: Sorry for not updating in so long, guys. I fought with my best friend who is also my "ex-boyfriend", and now we're not talking anymore. I'm stuck in a very sticky situation where I have to endure seeing him every stinking day without talking to him. Life is so unfair!)**


	9. Chapter 9 I Hate You, Forever and Always

The Angel

Chapter 9 I Hate You, Forever and Always

**(A/N: Hope you enjoy...I know I'm really slow in updating, and I'm sorry for that. And my laptop's caught a virus, so yikes!)**

_**Previously on The Angel…**_

"Aww…no need to be so feisty, Addie, I'm sure we will have a great time together." a woman's voice purred.

When I looked up, I was astonished to see the face of the traitor. No, it couldn't be…

* * *

_**Adrianna's POV**_

I stared into the eyes of the Vampire I once thought as a friend. Now, I don't consider her my friend anymore. She disgusts me and I don't want anything to do with her. Unfortunately for me, I have to deal with her until I find a loophole around my deal with vampire royalty.

And again, unfortunately for me, she is more powerful than I am and more experienced, too, since she is older by a good four hundred years.

You may ask: Who is she? Well, I will tell you now. "I can't believe your nerve, Cassandra. I trusted you with everything I had, and you were my best friend. How could you do this to me? What did I do to make you hate me so much that you can stab me in the back while I wasn't aware of it?" I spat out, angry tears forming in my eyes.

But I wasn't finished with my little rant just yet. "I would have preferred if you just confronted me about it, or simply killed me the first chance you got!" I exploded. I was so angry that my fangs grew so long they almost reached two inches.

And if the veins around my eyes could pop, they would have already done so. The female vampire just shook her head and laughed a humorless laugh.

"But I don't hate you, Addie. It's just too bad you got stuck in the middle of this. In reality, I don't hate you at all. Unfortunately for you, the only one I have ever wanted fell in love with you and you are part-witch. That automatically makes you not only my enemy, but also my rival. If we were normal people living normal lives, I am sure we would have been the best of friends." she stated, looking at me sympathetically.

"Yo—you're in love with Damon! I don't…I can't believe it. All this time and you haven't told me anything." I said disbelievingly, my fangs retracting once again.

"Who the hell is this Damon guy that all the ladies seem to be crazy about?" Emmett commented out loud, scratching his head, although I'm sure it wasn't really itchy. I almost forgot that the Cullens were with the Volturi, and that the entire Cullen clan, including the Volturi, have been watching our less than pleasant exchange.

I couldn't feel embarrassed right now. Do this to me another day and I would have been tomato red even though I am a Vampire. Can Vampires blush? Not really. I took a second to answer Emmett's question before going back to my thoughts. "He's my b…ex-boyfriend." I answered numbly, staring straight ahead.

My mind drifted back to the matter at hand as it all slowly made sense to me. "You are in love with Damon, so you prepared all these schemes to break us apart? And I even thought that it was Katherine's doing! You set this whole mess up. But how…?" I trailed off, my eyes focusing on the woman in front of me who was smirking.

"Oh, that wasn't all that hard. Katherine was more than willing to participate in our little show." she proudly said, earning a snarl from none other than Edward "Douche bag" Cullen himself.

"Lay off, Doucheward!" I growled. I mean really growled like an animal and bared my fangs at him. It was the most primal thing I have ever done in my Vampire existence aside from the usual feeding, of course. It showed everybody that I wasn't one to be messed with, and he shut up after that.

"You _bitch_..." I growled through gritted teeth, struggling against the rope. The vervain-coated rope cut painfully through my skin, but I almost didn't feel it at all; anger was the only thing on my mind. I wanted to grab her neck and squeeze the life (or rather death) out of it, snapping it into pieces in the process.

My supposed best friend and I are in love with the same guy that broke my heart not so long ago. Right then, a thought occurred to me which I hadn't thought about earlier. My eyes widened in shock, and my head snapped up to look at her before the Guards dragged me away.

"How about Rose, huh? Is she your accomplice, too?" I asked bitterly as she kept up with me when they started marching again. She smiled a sickly sweet smile, one I couldn't even imagine on her if I hadn't found out about her true intentions.

"Yes, and I set her up with Damon. I had her seduce him with a little help of mind control so that by the time you get to the boarding house; you'd see her dressed up like that and assume that they had sex. You must have forgotten that Rose is hundreds of years older than him, being able to penetrate his mind easily. But the truth is Damon was always loyal to you. He just wasn't strong enough to fight her control, and I didn't know you were so stupid to believe that!" she gloated, skipping around happily.

"You make me sick. Are you too much of a coward to fight me?" I spat, and stopped struggling against my captors, seeing as it didn't do me much good anyway.

"Listen well because I am only going to say this once. I am not afraid of you at all, for I can take you any day, anytime, anywhere, Addie. I don't want to hurt you, so please don't force me to!" she growled, walking at vampire speed away from us.

I silently hoped that my taking this bullet for the others will be productive because if not, I will only prove Cassandra correct, and that's something I don't really want to happen. Another thing is that I owe Damon an apology. Heck, I owe him a billion apologies!

* * *

_**At Elena's house…**_

_**Damon's POV…**_

"What exactly did Rose do to make you sleep with her? I mean, you get onto each other's nerves almost all the time. You even told me once that you dislike her very much. Will you please enlighten me, Damon Salvatore?" Elena asked me in a pissed off tone.

I couldn't say I blame her, but could she at least give me some credit? There are a lot of hot chicks wanting to go out with me, but I refused them out of loyalty to Addie! Come to think about it, I don't even remember doing the deed with Rose! I just sort of woke up from a dream-like state and saw the woman beneath me, for crying out loud!

"You see, dear Elena," I started, watching Stefan suppress a growl because of my use of the word 'dear. "I don't really remember most of it. I don't even remember having sex with her! I just saw her beneath me, and that's about it. That's all I can recall; I swear." I told her honestly, trying hard not to roll my eyes and succeeded.

"Now you're telling me you don't recall anything except that? Damon, I know you, and I know enough about vampires to confidently say to you that vampires have long-term memories. How can you forget when it happened not so long ago?" she asked skeptically, sighing exasperatedly.

"I swear, Elena, I—," I was cut off by my oh-so-brilliant little brother just when I had to say something to defend myself from his very 'scary' girlfriend. Not that she can harm me physically. Actually, she can, but it doesn't really hurt that much.

"Damon, are you sure Rose didn't use mind control on you?" he questioned me, and I could feel my eyes bugging out from their sockets.

"Excuse me, Stefan? May I remind you that I am very powerful, unlike some vampires here who prefer veggies over real blood." I mocked him, glaring at him because he actually thought that I was weak!

"This is not the time for your little insults over my diet, brother. This is a serious situation, so I am asking you. Do you want to see Addie again or not?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course, I do. What makes you think otherwise?" I asked angrily, my eyes darkening.

"Good, because she's like my little sister already, and if you hurt her, you won't like the consequences at all. So, tell me honestly, what is the last thing you remember before that?" my brother asked, getting back to business.

"I went home after meeting up with the Volturi and I drank a little, but not enough to mess up with my train of thought. After that, Rose arrived and we talked some; that's about it." I answered honestly, trying to recall beyond that, but failing miserably.

"Well, Damon, I'm afraid you've been controlled by Rose." he assumed, placing his hands on his hips. He looked absolutely stupid to me, if you'd ask my opinion.

"Think again, bro. How is that possible? She can't break through my guard without me knowing. Hell, I doubt anybody can." I said, protecting my pride and my ego.

"Just learn to accept it as it is, Damon." Stefan chided.

"So it isn't his fault then?" Elena asked, looking at me with her eyebrow raised. She still doesn't trust me after all this time when it comes to Addie.

"Fine, maybe she did successfully control my mind, so it isn't my fault that we did the deed. Elena, will you help me find Addie now?" I asked my brother's girlfriend, the one I used to have feelings for. Truth be told, I still care for her and love her, but only as a friend now that I've found the perfect girl for me—Addie.

"No, not so fast, D. You thought you'd get away that easy, huh? Well, think again. How can I be sure that you really didn't mean to have sex with Rose, and that you really love my best friend?" she challenged.

"I can try to see into his mind." Stefan volunteered, and I made a small celebratory dance at the back of my mind. Bless him and his saintly soul.

"My question is, what are Rose's motives? Why would she do something like this?" I wondered aloud.

"That's what we're going to find out, one way or another. No one messes with my best friend." Elena declared with so much determination in her eyes that I can almost see fire in them.

Moments later, I had proven to Elena that I was worth helping, and we are now on our way to finding Addie. Finally, I can finally see my girl and ask for forgiveness.

* * *

_**The next day…**_

_**Adrianna's POV**_

I sat alone in the corner, looking down at my bound hands and feet. My eyes have been red even before my confrontation with Cassandra. God, I hate that woman! I absolutely loathe her.

Suddenly, I looked up at the vampires around me when one of them called my attention, offering me animal blood that is contained in a bottle. They were no other than the Cullens.

The Volturi made me ride on a private plane that is going to Volterra. It gave me a sense of relief that my family was going to be safe, but a sense of dread as I imagined my future with the powerful coven.

"No, thank you. I'm not thirsty." I refused their offer and continued with my musings, trying to tune them out.

"Yes, you are, Bella. Veins are showing around your eyes already. I know enough about your kind to find out if you're thirsty or not. We brought this in for you when we made a stopover at Spain." Carlisle offered kindly, without any signs of hatred whatsoever for me.

I took the bottle out of respect, but made no move to open it, much less consume it. "Go ahead. It will quench your thirst a little bit." he insisted.

I hunted only a few days ago, and I am already thirsty. It's almost abnormal for me, but then I remembered that vervain makes us more thirsty and fighting, too.

"Honestly, this doesn't look very appealing to me. I will bet this doesn't taste as good either. I've tasted animal blood before, trying to not kill people. I tried to be like you, you know." I told the father figure, looking straight into his citrine eyes.

I have never noticed before just how Carlisle's face was filled with compassion, and he tried to help me with everything. I almost felt guilty for hating him and his family, the key word being _almost._

When I saw Edward, I felt anger and fury just by simply looking at his face, hating his guts for what he did to me. What I felt for him before was just…let's say, infatuation because I never really loved him. He dazzled me to love him and keep me wrapped around his little finger, ready to obey his commands on the slightest notice.

I chose to ignore him and riveted my attention back to the old vampire. "It didn't work out for me. The moment I tasted human blood; I couldn't simply ignore the call." At the slightly worried look of the vampire, I gave out a small chuckle and smiled, although it didn't reach my eyes.

"Don't worry, Carlisle. I don't kill if I can avoid it. I stop before it kills the human, or I go to the blood bank and rob it." he looked surprised, his eyes widening immensely.

"You should stop being surprised. Everything that happens in our life is a surprise. No one knows what's going to happen next." I chided, giving him back the bottle.

"Bella…" Edward sighed exasperatedly, and I challenged him to say anything.

"If I were you, I'd just keep my mouth shut because once my hands are free; I'd make sure that you'd lose a very important member of yours, Assward, especially when you say something offensive. I'm sure you and your female companion won't be very happy about it." I said in a sickly sweet voice, and I have to say, even I am revolted by my tone.

Apparently, his female companion, whose name I now know as Amanda West, wasn't very thrilled by my threat and decided to growl at me. I wasn't in the mood to be nice, too, so I unintentionally broke myself free from my bounds and caught her into a chokehold.

"Listen, bitch, I can easily break your pretty little neck without blinking, and if you think vervain can stop me, then think again. I am strong enough to resist it because in the short time I have been a vampire; I already had too much of it dumped into my system, courtesy of the Volturi and other creatures I'd rather not name."

"As long as my deal with the Volturi is not broken, I will be a good girl and stay tied if I have to, but that won't stop me from killing you." I stated. My eyes are redder than ever, from what I can see of my reflection in the airplane window.

I then let go of her neck forcefully, making sure I leave a dent or two, or maybe my fingerprints. She slammed onto the wall, but thankfully, nothing was broken. At least, nothing in the plane was, but I couldn't say the same for her upper body. I must give more credit to the vamps; they certainly made sure this plane is Vampire-proof.

Edward rushed to her side, and I watched emotionlessly at the boy who first broke my heart, although it couldn't be compared to the pain I felt when Damon broke mine. All I could feel towards Edward now is hate, hate, and more hate.

I hate that he used his charm to dazzle me into 'loving' him. I hate that he couldn't stop chasing after me now, even though he already has a mate. I hate that he thinks I can't protect myself. I could go on and on, but the thing I hated the most is pretty little face that I wanted so bad to smash into the ground and stick up his sparkling ass.

Edward turned to face me and rose up from where he was kneeling before, crouching low to the ground. "Will you attack me, Edward? Can you do it?" I whispered into his ear, suddenly appearing behind him.

I forgot to mention to them that I'll give the boy a run for his money when it comes to speed. I learned not too long ago that I was faster than him and much, much stronger. Now, it made me more confident and a little bit smug. It's about time Eddie boy gets punished for what he's done to me. I just couldn't let this chance pass.

And I'm going to start by doing the same thing he has done to me. The other Cullens, namely Rosalie, Emmett, and Jasper looked proud because of my newfound confidence, while Carlisle, Esme, and Alice seemed to be conflicted.

I smirked, watching the expression on his face change almost instantaneously. It ranged from lust, fear, doubt, anger, more lust, and worry.

I appeared in front of him this time, sitting on the floor while I watched his mate still recovering from my attack. He leaned toward me slowly—well, slowly for a vampire—and just when his lips were mere inches from mine.

"You still haven't changed one single bit, you man-whore." I breathed, pulling away from him. His eyes widened and if he were human, I'm sure he would have had a heart attack already.

"Your mate is on the floor right beside you, suffering from her injuries, and you were just about to kiss me. I don't believe people like you exist." I shook my head in disbelief, transferring my attention on his father/creator/coven leader.

"Are you sure that when you changed Assward, the venom spread to his brain? Because I am pretty sure that even a human being is smarter than your adopted son. It gives me the impression that he doesn't have any brain at all! Next time you change another human, Carlisle, make sure the person really is worth the second chance." I told the man I once considered father. Now, I really don't know what he is to me anymore.

Jasper burst out laughing while Rosalie shot me a smile; Emmett looked like he was about to drop on the floor roaring with laughter. Hmm…the three of them might have a chance at being friends with me in the future. I already noted that at the back of my mind.

"Bella, I know you still love me. Please forgive me for leaving you." he pleaded, holding on to my ankle in an attempt to make me pity him.

"Oh, is that the case, Eddie boy? You want to play this game with me?" I asked, acting like he was retarded because for me, he really was.

"Don't play these silly games. You're better than that." he scolded. Ha! And he still had the nerve to scold me!

"You of all people can't tell me what to do, man-whore. First of all, you were the one who looked down on me just because I was human. You thought that me being human is a crime! That's why you didn't want to change me, am I right? Because you only wanted someone you could look down to. You wanted to feel good about yourself by making me feel bad about me." I explained, yanking his hair back non-too-gently.

"You never loved me, and I doubt you could love anyone because you're so selfish, vain, arrogant, and a bully! You can never do those things to me again, Eddie, because if ever I enter a relationship with you—as if that will happen—I will be the one in control and make you suffer, until you beg me for mercy. I promise you one thing, though," I started, smiling sweetly at him.

He looked hopeful that I changed my mind and am going to take him back, but I will never do that, until the day I die again and in the next life, if I ever have one.

"This I promise you, Edward, and to all the deities up there or to whoever is listening. I promise that I will hate you, forever and always, even if you die swearing to me that you love me. I will never believe you again, and I never wish to speak to you if it isn't necessary. And if possible, I don't even want to see your face. Oh, and it's Adrianna to you!" I hissed, letting go of his prized bronze locks.

"What is happening here? How did you break free, Adrianna, and what are you quarreling about? It's been going on for at least five minutes." Aro asked, walking towards us at a human pace.

"Next time, tell Edward to keep his comments to himself and include his whore, too. As for the ropes, I broke them because don't really need them; I won't break free or try to escape, anyway. That is, as long as the deal is in effect." I stared at the old vampire, telling him honestly about my plans in the future. I have to deal with him for at least a few months, so I guess I'd have to start this honesty thing. Not all the time, of course.

"Ah, young Edward must have gotten to your nerves, has he not? Don't worry, I'll try to keep him in check most of the time. I trust you enough not to break you word about not escaping, so you can roam around as you wish." he told me, sparing a glance at Edward.

He then ordered Felix and Dimitri to take care of the whoresome twosome, said his apologies, and then walked away without another word.

"Bye, Doucheward! I won't be with you, even if you're the last guy on earth."

"Way to go, Bells! Oops, I mean Addie, or Adrianna. Whatever." Emmett boomed, giving me a bear hug. Only this time, I was more comfortable, for I was more durable and didn't fear of being crushed by my bear of a brother. Yes, I guess I can consider him my brother still, because of all the Cullens; he was the most honest with me.

I patted him on the back, showing off some of my strength. He said, "Ow! What was that for?"

"Nothing, really, I was just trying to see if you would get affected by my strength. Were you?" I questioned, raising an eyebrow. I knew the answer, but I was just trying to embarrass him.

"Of course not!" he burst, pouting like a kid. I suppressed a chuckle and walked over to a chair and sat down, hugging my knees.

"So, what have you been up to for the past few months?" Alice chirped, curling up on the chair beside me while the rest of the Cullens sat in their respective seats, pretending not to listen.

"I'm actually not in the mood to talk to you, Alice, and I don't know if I still want to talk to you ever. You saw what was going to happen at my birthday party, didn't you? Why didn't you say anything, nor do anything to stop it?" I accused, glaring forcefully at the evil little pixie.

She cringed, backing away a little from me. "I-I couldn't do anything about it. Do you remember when I told you before that the future changes depending on the decisions of the person? In this case, it wasn't like that at all. It was the clearest vision I've seen in my entire life. It was like the future was set in stone." she quickly explained, trying to avoid my wrath.

I still didn't trust her, so I decided to see if she really is telling the truth. It doesn't feel good being lied to. My pupils dilated as I stared into her topaz eyes, delving into her mind easily. "Are you telling the truth?" I asked her, my face inches from hers.

"Yes." she answered shakily, being forced to answer. I let go of her mind then and ignored her for a few minutes.

"Cool…how did you do that? Is that your talent?" Emmett asked, turning to his right to face me, for he was seated across us.

"Let's just say it comes with the whole Vampire package. Every Vampire in the world, I mean my kind, can control other creatures' minds and make them do whatever we want them to do. The effect depends on how strong a Vampire is. The older the Vampire, the stronger and more lasting the effect is. We can make them forget everything, so it's useful when people discover us. It also makes hunting easier." I mused, pursing my lips in thought.

"Snap! Why didn't I become like your kind? It sounds pretty cool to me. What are other things you can do?" he queried, almost jumping up and down his seat.

"We get stronger as we age, too, and our eyes don't go red all the time." I stated, shocking Jasper momentarily.

"You mean you never had to go through the newborn stage? And your eyes aren't red all the time? But…I don't understand. Your eyes have been red for hours. How can you say that they're not red all the time?" he wondered, and I could almost hear the wheels turning in his head.

"Nope," I answered, popping the 'p'. "As for my eyes now, I'm just so furious about Cassandra and everything that's happening that I cannot bring myself to calm down enough to make my eyes go back to normal again. Well, I think I can attempt to try it now, for I am not as angry as I was before." I continued, shutting my eyes close.

I felt the veins around my eyes disappear and when I opened them; I knew my eyes were back to their usual chocolate brown color.

I wish I brought a camera with me, since the looks on the Cullens' faces were absolutely priceless. Can vampires go into shock? I think they can because minutes have passed before any of them was able to say anything.

Jasper was the first to snap out of it, and the rest followed. I conversed with some of them—namely Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie. I spoke to Esme, too, but our conversation was very short because she was so close to defending what Carlisle's decision about letting the family leave. As for Carlisle and Alice, I still couldn't bring myself to forgive them, so I didn't really look at them, much less speak to them.

I'm sure Carlisle will be easier to forgive than Alice. Unlike the pixie, he didn't know what was happening behind the scenes. Plus, Edward is his first companion, therefore making him somewhat his 'favorite'.

It went on and on for hours, until we finally reached Volterra. It was a magnificent place to live in; I am sure. But what really made it unappealing to me is the fact that it wasn't home, because Damon wasn't in it, and I swear that it sucks.

* * *

**(A/N: Sorry for the really slow update, guys. My laptop caught a Malware or something like that, and I can't get rid of it! The warnings lessen after a few days though. Is that a good thing?)**


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